Chat with Tyndale's Digital First Initiative eBook Authors

Pam Hillman here! I’m so excited to welcome all of Tyndale’s Digital First Initiative authors to Seekerville today. I didn’t know Lynne, Michael, Diana, or Russ when Tyndale offered a contract on Stealing Jake for the Digital First program.

I knew others had been contracted, but that was it. I wondered who they might be. Were they friends of mine but couldn’t say anything until the ink on their contract dried? Speculation ran rampant in my fertile imagination! But when the official Tyndale Digital First Press Release came out, I realized I didn’t know any of them, but that’s changed in the last few months.

I met three of the five authors at ACFW, but I’ve also bonded with them all through their books. Seekers and Friends of Seekers are tied together by our love for books, so it doesn’t take long for us to bond, does it?

So, join the five of us as we sit in the Yankee-Belle Café drinking Helen’s coffee, sampling Ruthy’s dessert of the day, and getting to know each other. Ruthy, dear, please tell us what great desserts you’ll be offering today, will ya, hon?

We’ll start off with a question for Michael. Tell us about your publishing journey and how you were chosen to be a part of this exciting new program launched by Tyndale?

Michael takes a deep breath and dives right in. “My publishing journey was long and torturous. I walked through hot coals every day for thirty years. I am now old [uh…really?], but on the plus side, my feet are very tough, and it was worth it to get to Tyndale.

Michael Berrier

I wrote eight novels before Cash Burn was picked up by Tyndale, but four were short, so they probably count as one. So let’s say five novels, if I’m any good at math. Anyway, with every manuscript I learned a ton, and along the way I made great friends at conferences who were a tremendous help on my journey.”

Wow, thirty years? And I thought I’d been writing a long time. I turn to Lynne and Russ. How about you two?

“I’ve been working toward publication for nearly ten years. Have several completed manuscripts on my computer. Reinventing Leona was written in 2006. My agent submitted the story to Tyndale,” Lynne says.

Lynne Gentry

Russ settles back in one of the Yankee-Belle’s comfy chairs. “I've been writing for almost ten years and have three completed unpublished manuscripts taking up space on my hard drive. All three of these manuscripts were rejected by dozens of agents and publishers, and for good reason--they weren't good. But I needed to write those in order to be able to write 40 Days Without Food. Each failed manuscript brought more than rejection emails. My writing skills and voice were refined.

I just knew I loved to write and would do it whether I was published or not. I kept submitting queries and eventually an agent took me on. He shopped one of those previous around to no avail. Then I wrote 40 Days. He loved it, showed it to some editors, and Tyndale decided they wanted it to be a part of their digital first initiative.”

Ten years for both of you, huh? Neither of you look old enough to have been writing for ten years. Truth be told, Mike, I refuse to believe YOU’VE been writing for 30 years. You must have started in grade school! Okay, next question. Did your agent pitch directly to this program or did your manuscript land at Tyndale via a different route?

Lynne takes a dainty sip of Helen’s coffee (delish as always, Helen!). “Yes, my agent pitched to this specific line.”

Diana, what about your book, Delivery?

Diana smiles. “My manuscript took a unique route to Tyndale through the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest, where Delivery placed three consecutive years: 2008 finalist, 2009 semifinalist, and 2010 finalist.”

Diana Prusik & Jerry Jenkins

“My break came about eighteen months ago when a friend and fine writer named Shawn Grady covertly sent part of the Cash Burn manuscript to my (now) agent Janet Grant. Janet liked the manuscript enough to want to see the rest of it, and signed me when she read it.” Michael volunteers. “I was chosen by Tyndale when Jan Stob asked Janet Grant if she had any authors who might be a good fit for the initiative, and Janet pitched Cash Burn to her.”

It was the same for me. My agent submitted Stealing Jake to Jan, too. And things moved pretty fast from that point onward. Michael, how long did you have to wait for your book to be published from when you turned it in?

“I finished Cash Burn early in 2010, but it didn’t get to Tyndale until around April or May of this year. After the Tyndale team accepted it, the actual e-pub process was extremely fast. And the editing, production, art, and marketing talent at Tyndale was outstanding throughout the process.”

Diana chimes in, “Because of the Operation First Novel contest, Tyndale had seen various versions of my manuscript over a period of about three years. Once I submitted my final version, publishing followed a few short months later. Epublishing is quick!!!”

I’ll say. From contract to publication was about six weeks. Amazing! Russ, you’ve been kind of quiet. Do you miss not having a book to hold in your hands? Does it lessen the experience as a debut book?

“I LOVE books. I love the covers and the crisp pages. I love writing in the margins and having them pile up on my nightstand.” Russ’s passion for his topic mounts, so I move the coffeepot over a smidge. Just to be on the safe side, you understand.

Russ Masterson

“So, yes, I missed not having a book in my hands, but as a late-adopter of most technology I'll catch up to this new medium eventually. Being a part of digital first helped me, as a book lover, to see the positives of ebooks: the ease of purchasing, storing, reading, and sharing them. Digital first didn't lessen my debut book experience, it just changed it from what I'd always thought it would be.”

Well, said! I couldn’t agree more. Lynne? Thoughts?

Lynne smiles, the twinkle in her eyes letting me know my maneuver with the coffee pot hadn’t escaped her notice. “Yes, I miss the paper version, but love the speed and ease of access of modern technology. The only problem I’ve had though is people don’t buy the book for friends as gifts and people without reading devices tend to balk on downloading it to their computers.”

Lynne Gentry signing her contract.

“I am thrilled to be part of the Digital First Initiative, but I do hope a print edition of Delivery follows,” Diana weighs in. “Many readers want autographs, which is difficult to do in electronic form, and many readers have told me they are waiting to purchase a paperback.”

Michael nods, agreeing with Diana. “Yes, I miss it, and many readers have asked when the paper version will be coming out. The good news is, we didn’t have to worry about returns or long print cycles. Or kill any trees.”

Ah, that’s a good point about the trees. Maybe that’s a marketing angle we haven’t thought of. We need to remember that! Speaking of marketing… In your opinion, is the marketing you have to do for an ebook any harder than a print book?

Michael scrunches his brow in thought. “No, not harder, just different. It’s 90% virtual—blogging, emailing, Twittering, Facebooking, LinkedIning… Okay, those aren’t real words, but if Shakespeare and Sarah Palin can make up words, so can I. Anyway, readings don’t have much value since you can’t set up a table and sell ebooks that way, but I still do them when I can.”

“Not really, just different,” Russ agrees. “Digital first was a blessing for my family. My wife and I have two little girls and a print book would've put more demand on me to physically go places to market the book. Digital first allowed me to market the book from my home, sitting behind my Mac.”

“Since Delivery is my debut novel, I have no other marketing experience to compare it to. So far, marketing has been FUN!” Diana smiles.

Lynne and I nod in agreement. The marketing has been fun. It’s a lot of work, and like the guys said, it’s different to what we would have experienced with print books, but the fact that we’ve got over EIGHTY years of writing experience under our collective belt, a little digital marketing is a piece of cake. Speaking of cake…where’s Ruthy? Missy? You-hoo…these dainty little saucers need more CAKE!

While we’re waiting on another round of desserts (Yes, Russ, I know you’re health conscious, but when in Seekerville…), what’s your experience been like working with Tyndale in launching the program? Or revisions? My revisions were a piece of (okay, what’s with the CAKE already??)…my revisions were smooth as a placid lake on a windless summer night in Mississippi, so I wonder about the others….

“I've been revising since I finished my first draft in 2008, and if Tyndale had not set a final deadline, I'm sure I would be revising still. I believe writing can always be improved.” Diana sips her coffee. “Tyndale is a stellar publisher, one of the best in the nation. I cannot imagine having a better publishing experience. I am truly blessed!”

“Jeremy Taylor of Tyndale House did a fantastic job honing the manuscript. He was quick and thorough, and retained my voice while making the manuscript better.” Michael agrees. “I had the pleasure of visiting their offices a few weeks ago and I hope it’s the beginning of a long relationship.”

Michael, you got to visit the Tyndale offices? Lucky you! Other than THAT, what has been the most surprising/exciting/amazing thing to happen as a published author?

Lynne’s infectious grin spreads across her face. “Hearing from people all over the country who’ve read the book and been touched by it in some way.”

Lynne Gentry & Pam Hillman at ACFW Awards Gala

“My colleagues in the banking industry have been some of my strongest supporters, and I’m grateful for that.” Michael turns serious for a moment. “I was a little anxious about telling my boss about the storyline, but she was very supportive, as was our bank’s CEO and all my co-workers.”

“I have been most excited and blessed to hear from readers who thanked me through tears because Delivery touched their hearts. That's what Christian fiction is all about!”

That is so true. I’ve had co-workers, friends, strangers call or email me about how much they liked my book. It just blows me away. Every time! Russ, what would you like to add to that?

Russ, the lone non-fiction author among us, turns ever more serious, a far-away look in his eyes. “You think you'll have some feeling of completion, that reaching this achievement will do something inside of you, and for a few weeks you do feel some gratitude for the opportunity and the work you've been able to do. Then you see the books ahead of you on lists and form reasons why your book should be selling more copies than those books. So, yes becoming published was exciting and rewarding, but then you, in some way, recalibrate to the new position and end up feeling the same as you did when you were unpublished. The entire process has helped me to see that trying to squeeze value out of achievement is tiring and pointless.”

We all stare at Russ, wondering if he’s been poking around inside our heads while we were out to lunch. Slowly, we all nod. That’s powerful deep, and so true it hurts. But in a good way, mind you. Russ put into words a lot of what I’ve been doing the last few months. Recalibrating. BUT I’m convinced I’m recalibrating at a whole new level, ready to forge ahead…nay, upward.

Always upward.

Diana Prusik

We sit around in silence for awhile, digesting Russ’s profound statement and Ruthy’s chocolate cake, washing both down with Helen’s coffee brewed to perfection, and finally, I gather my thoughts and ask one last question. What’s everyone currently working on?

Michael gives us that smug little grin of his that lets us know he’s plotting something devious. “In January I’ll complete a manuscript I’m calling Confederacy of Thieves, which is about a conflicted thief who steals from people who themselves have gotten rich unscrupulously. He gives the loot to the poor, but he gets in way over his head when his cohorts go too far.”

Oooh, that sounds interesting. Kind of a modern day Robin Hood, huh? Diana?

“I am preparing to attend the Story Masters Workshop in Houston in early November to learn from writing experts Chris Vogler, Donald Maass, and James Scott Bell. When I return, I will begin writing my sophomore novel. I can't WAIT!!!” A huge grin splits her face, so excited she can hardly sit still. Uh, Diana, where are you going? No need to rush off just yet. The workshop is not until November!

Russ, the deep-thinker of our group, leans in, his excitement rivaling Diana’s. “My agent is presently showing editors a manuscript I finished a month ago, a non-fiction narrative about the difference between moralism and grace, the toxicity of conditional love and the freedom of unconditional love.”

Russ Masterson

And me? I’m putting the final touches on a proposal based on the question, “What would a woman do if she discovers her entire livelihood was stolen?” But love turns a quest for revenge into redemption.

Oh, my, look who just walked into the Yankee-Belle Café for take-out!!!! None other than Tyndale Senior Acquistions Editor, Jan Stob. Ruthy, quick, get Jan a cup of Helen’s coffee and a generous slice of your homemade carrot cake to go.

Jan, we’re about to wrap up this delightful conversation. Any parting words for Seekerville? Jan joins our group, all smiles, friendly and gracious as always.

“Tyndale has enjoyed partnering with these five talented authors – Pam Hillman, Diana Prusik, Lynne Gentry, Michael Berrier, and Russ Masterson. Their launch in digital media has introduced them to a wide range of readers as they begin building a fan base. This group of authors continues to find creative ideas to help promote their titles – including contests, use of social media, blogging, and participating in numerous interviews.

Digital publishing isn’t limited to the shelf life of a typical print book. These titles won’t be quickly removed from the ‘shelf’. Digital allows a book to build through word of mouth. It has staying power. We will continue to monitor sales and plan to offer another promotion in the near future.

It will be exciting to see what’s next from each of these authors.”

Wow, Jan, thanks for stopping by and adding to this conversation. I speak for all of us in that we’ve enjoyed working with you and Tyndale on the Digital First Initiative, and hope to see more partnerships formed in the near future.

Onward and upward!

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Links to the author’s books on Amazon:

Cash Burn by Michael Berrier

40 Days Without Food by Russ Masterson

Delivery by Diana Prusik

Reinventing Leona by Lynne Gentry

Stealing Jake by Pam Hillman

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Click here to register for Pam's KindlePalooza & Diana's Double Kindle Giveaway!!!

Check out the rules for Diana Prusik’s Double Kindle giveaway

Pam Hillman’s KindlePalooza Contest. It’s BIG! It’s BETTER! It’s a-palooza!

Someone will walk away with a Kindle loaded with a MINIMUM of 12 of the 24 ACFW Book Club picks for 2012. This gift keeps on giving all year long!

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TODAY IN SEEKERVILLE - FIVE EBOOKS - FIVE WINNERS

Today’s Seekerville guests are giving away one copy each of their ebook here in Seekerville, so there will be 5 winners! Please specify in your comment on today’s post whether you want to be included in the drawing, whether you prefer Kindle or Nook, and which (or all) of the books you’d like to win. Did I cover everything? lol Winners will be announced in the WE so be sure to check back to claim your prize.