Tag Archives: The Funeral Singer

Why I Said ‘Yes’ to the (Small) Press

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There’s been a lot of talk in the publishing world this week about the advantages and potential disadvantages of signing with a small press. For those of you who aren’t as familiar with the publishing world, a “small press” means any company that isn’t part of the Big 5–Harper Collins, Penguin Putnam, Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Time Warner. Some have gone so far as to suggest that in today’s environment, where self-publishing is such a readily available option, there’s no point in signing with a small press.

I can only speak for myself and my book, but here are the Top 5 things THE FUNERAL SINGER would lack if I’d decided to self-publish rather than sign with Swoon Romance:

  1. A main character who remains likeable even at her worst. Mel becomes quite the diva about two-thirds of the way through the book. She’s hot, she’s famous, and she is oh, so much more than a mere funeral singer. But the reader can still root for her because Mel also is vulnerable. And that, my friends, is because my editor, Amy Garvey, pointed out ways I could make her vulnerable even at her worst. Had I self-published, I would not have had that editorial guidance and the story would not be as strong.
  2. Its gorgeous cover. Have I told you how much I love the cover? Not sure what would have happened had I self-pubbed. I’m not a designer, so I would have had to hire one. Would he or she have come up with something equally as striking? Perhaps. But one thing is for sure: I would be poorer right now.
  3. Cool promos. Such as having my first chapter published at the end of Lizzy Charles’ EFFORTLESS WITH YOU. A lot of people are reading Lizzy’s book. Within the first 24 hours of its release, it ranked within the top 2,000 books in the Kindle store and within the top 100 “coming of age books” within all of Amazon. As of this posting, it is all the way up to #69 in that category. That promotion, along with the mention of my book on USA Today’s romance blog, my cover reveal, and the blog tour that is scheduled upon the release of my book on September 24, are all publicity efforts I could not have achieved on my own.
  4. The support of an amazing publishing family. I daresay this is something Swoon offers that not even the Big 5 can top. Its listserve is so full of author encouragement and advice, some days I worry that my inbox might explode.
  5. A new manuscript that is about a third finished. I hit 18,000 words this week on my next book, meaning I’m about a third of the way through. No way would that have happened if I had decided to self-publish THE FUNERAL SINGER and had to deal with formatting it, hiring a cover designer, placing it on Amazon, doing all my own promotion, etc., etc. Having a publisher behind me to do all that allows me to do what I most want to do: write!

Please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying there is anything wrong with self-publishing. Many people are doing it and doing it well. Nor am I saying signing with a small press always offers advantages. Some small presses offer better services and better distribution than others. The key is to know what you’re getting into and to make an educated decision.

For THE FUNERAL SINGER, signing with Swoon Romance was a marriage made in heaven. And that’s why I said “yes” to the (small) press.

A Funeral Singer Word Cloud

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UntitledThere you have it … THE FUNERAL SINGER in one compact little cloud! Thanks to the magic of Wordle, we can see which words appear the most in my book.

Perhaps the thing that most pleased me when I pasted my manuscript into Wordle’s cloud-formation machine and hit “Go” was seeing that the word “just” didn’t appear in 400-point font, dwarfing all the other words. We all have our crutch words, and “just” is certainly mine. I have to work hard to avoid overusing it.

What’s your crutch word? Not sure? Try pasting your work into Wordle to find out!

The Funeral Singer Cover Reveal!

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I have a lot to say about this cover, but since you’ll no doubt scroll past all my brilliant prose in your rush to see it, let’s get that part out of the way.

Deal?

Deal.

Drum roll, please …

Ta-da!

fs_cover_medium

SEE! I told you … it’s gorgeous!!

You can go back and stare again for a while if you want. Believe me, I’ve been staring all week. Because it’s gorgeous! And cool, and intriguing, and amazing, and omigosh, I can’t stop staring!

Anyway, here’s the thing about this cover: I get to take most of the credit for it.

As a rule, authors don’t have much say in their cover. Publishers hire designers to design them, and the author is stuck with whatever they get.

But not Swoon Romance. Swoon asks their authors for their vision for the cover. Pretty cool! So about six weeks ago, Swoon publisher Georgia McBride asked me how I envisioned THE FUNERAL SINGER’s cover.

My response: “I’d rather not say.”

See, I work in communications and marketing, so I deal with designers a fair amount. For pretty much every project I’ve ever worked on, my “vision” has been one thing, and the designer’s has turned out to be quite another. A much, much, much better ‘nother.

So, yeah, after five years of writing and revising THE FUNERAL SINGER, I had a few preconceptions about what its cover might look like. But I had a feeling a designer’s vision might be much, much, much better.

And I was right … this is nothing AT ALL like what I’d imagined. It’s brilliant!

So you see, if it weren’t for me keeping my mouth shut, we might have a totally different and no doubt much lamer cover. You’re welcome.

(OK, fine,  I’ll give Swoon a little credit, too. They rocked it. SERIOUSLY rocked it.)

Now that you’ve seen the cover, perhaps you’re wondering what this book is about. Well, you’re in luck! In addition to a cover, the book now has a publisher’s promo blurb:

* * *

Being a funeral singer was a dead-end job until it led her to him….

Seventeen-year-old Melanie Martin has witnessed her share of lame eulogies and uninspired epitaphs while singing part-time at her dad’s funeral home. She’s determined to be more than a funeral singer, more than someone’s “beloved wife” or “loving mother.”

When Mel’s impromptu rendition of “Amazing Grace” at a local rock star’s graveside service goes viral on YouTube, she becomes an Internet sensation, gains thousands of fans and followers, and snags a hot rock star boyfriend – Zed Logan, bass player for The Grime.

But instant fame isn’t easy – and neither is love. Especially when Mel realizes she’s falling for another guy – one who may just want her heart more than her voice.…

* * *

And that’s not all! In addition to a cover and a blurb, the book also now has a publication date: September 24! As in, less than two months away. So please, go mark your calendar and create a reminder for yourself on your phone and create an “appointment” in Outlook, because that is the day you will be able to download it. And then you can have your very own copy of this beautiful cover (and the rest of the book, too).

Voila! It’s a Book!

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I first started writing THE FUNERAL SINGER five years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday. (Well, not really. I mean, it was five years ago!)

But here’s how it started: In April 2008, I went to a children’s writers conference, where T.A. Barron, author of the wildly popular MERLIN and MERLIN’S DRAGON series, gave the keynote address. Barron was talking about everyday heroes, and he commented that kids and teens today too often have a skewed idea of what it means to be a hero.

His remark stuck with me, and on the four-hour drive home from that conference, I started formulating the plot for THE FUNERAL SINGER. I decided to write a novel about a girl who becomes a pop “hero” but who ultimately discovers it can be more rewarding, more real, to be an everyday hero. Next thing you know, voila! It’s five years later and I have a book! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Seriously, though, let’s take a look at my path to publication, by the numbers:

  1. I went through one agent “break up” while working on this book. My former agent was smart and successful and sweet, and I admire and adore her, but she didn’t love this book like I did. I had to choose, and I chose the book. I’m not going to pretend it was easy. I’m not going to pretend I didn’t cry. But ultimately, it was the right choice.
  2. I entered two online contests with this book. It did well in both contests, and in one of them I received some feedback that ultimately led to major revisions and improvements.
  3. I put this book through three writing workshops. The feedback and support I received in those classes played a huge part in my writing and revisions.
  4. I received four “close, but no cigar” rejections from agents on this book. The ones where you get so close, where you can practically hear the phone ringing with the agent’s offer, are the toughest. Rejection sucks and leaves you with two choices: Give up, or try again. Only one of those choices offers the possibility of success.
  5. Did I mention, I spent five years writing, revising and submitting this book? That’s like, a lifetime (if you’re a five-year-old) (or a hamster).

Had I known my journey to publishing this manuscript would have meant going through all of that, I’m not sure I ever would have begun it. But I’m glad I did and am so thrilled to finally have a chance to share THE FUNERAL SINGER with the world!

Swoon Romance will publish it in Fall 2013 as an e-book. I want to thank publisher Georgia McBride, editor Amy Garvey, and agent Andrea Somberg for believing in this book!

Stay tuned to this blog for details and updates—including a sneak peak at the cover—as we lead up to its release!