Lori Devoti, paranormal romance and urban fantasy author

Recently I’ve been reading a number of category books. Ann Christopher kind of got me on this kick…or maybe it was Ann Voss Peterson…one of those Anns. :) Both are friends and I read a book by each of them (Kimani….Intrigue) then continued on with Desires. I’m on my second Desire right now.

I used to LOVE Flipsides (remember them?) and Bombshell (mainly the paranormal ones, which I have said over and over were before their time since they totally fit into the urban fantasy trend).

I’ve been thinking for a while of doing one of my monthly promotions (where I give away $100 of some certain type of books) for Harlequin, and I’m wondering…what if any category lines do you read? And why? I’m assuming at least some of you read Nocturnes…right? Do you subscribe? Do you pick them up at Walmart? Are you a regular buyer? Do you stick to just the line or follow certain authors from line to line?

Tell me everything!! :)

So, word is out that very soon Barnes and Noble will have their own eBook Reader available for purchase. No news that I’ve heard as to price but there are plenty of rumors of various cool things it might do (although none of them include finishing WRITING my current WIP, so for now I’m holding back my unbridled enthusiasm).

Anyway, this news was of particular interest to me on the heels of Ninc last weekend where there was a LOT of talk about eBooks and what their growth means for authors. Right now, excuse me if I mentioned this already, people tossed out numbers of 1 to 5% of the total book market being E. But with expectations of that going up to 50% in the next five years.

And what does that potential growth depend in large part on?

An affordable eReader.

So, I’m curious. How cheap would be cheap enough to send you off to buy your own reader? And if price isn’t your major holdup, what is?

For me actually it’s the whole format thing. I don’t want to buy a reader to find out six months later my books are obsolete or don’t work on some new reader I want. I also don’t like the no forward thing. I share books with my mom a lot. If I bought ebooks in any volume I would want to be able to continue to do this without feeling like a book pirate. Oh, and then there is the price of ebooks. I can’t get over feeling an ebook should cost less than a normal book. And if I add that all together–possibility of books becoming obsolete, not being able to share them and them costing the same as a print book–I just can’t see why I would want to buy a reader just yet.

How about you?

Always like to share. :)
Here’s a free eBook. I have no experience with this author, but here is the blurb…

Some believe Bedford, Maine, is cursed. Its bloody past, endless rain, and the decay of its downtown portend a hopeless future. With the death of its paper mill, Bedford’s unemployed residents soon find themselves with far too much time to dwell on thoughts of Susan Marley. Once the local beauty, she’s now the local whore. Silently prowling the muddy streets, she watches eerily from the shadows, waiting for . . . something. And haunting the sleep of everyone in town with monstrous visions of violence and horror.

Those who are able will leave Bedford before the darkness fully ascends. But those who are trapped here—from Susan Marley’s long-suffering mother and younger sister to her guilt-ridden, alcoholic ex-lover to the destitute and faithless with nowhere else to go—will soon know the fullest and most terrible meaning of nightmare.

Get your free book here.

You probably don’t know it, but a dump is a great thing if you are an author. It means you got one of those special little cardboard display things just for you in some store (hopefully many stores). Well, guess what? Harlequin did one for the two Nocturne anthologies out right now…one of which is Midnight Cravings mass market release.
Here is the picture compliments of Michele Hauf…

Yesterday was the first day of the regular conference. I attended sessions until the lunch break then scooted out with Ann Christopher for some sight seeing, came back to pick people up for dinner, then back again for two night owl sessions.

The morning was excellent. There was lots of talk of digital publishing and where it is right now and how as it continues to grow it may change publishing. First right now numbers of what percent digital is of the total were varied from 2 to 4%. And everyone agreed predicting when this number would become big enough to have a real impact on the market depends mainly on what happens with readers and format–readers going down in price and formats becoming more standard. But even with the small percentage digital represents of the business right now, there was a lot of talk of what this will/could mean to both publishers and authors.

One thing mentioned was once digital is used by more people, the need for a publisher will or could go down. Publishers offer authors distribution (with digital this won’t necessarily have to go through a publisher), production (again something with digital authors could do on their own), marketing (lots of jokes about how publishers don’t really do this anyway) and editing. Editing seemed to be the thing some saw as what publishers could still offer. Personally, I think it is going to be more about marketing/vetting. With the wild wild west of self-publishing (once digital is widespread) people are going to be looking for some assurance of quality before they buy. The easiest way to get that is going to be knowing if you buy from a certain publisher (or other group) you will be assured some level of quality and a fair representation of what the book is before you buy.

There was also talk of how much more important a platform is becoming for a fiction writer. Platforms have always been important for non-fiction writers, but now and into the future when people have to search out your books online rather than stumble over them in a brick and mortar store this will be even more important. The problem is, it is much harder to build a platform as a fiction writer. Many authors do this by offering writing advice–but if you do that, who is in your platform? Other writers and not necessarily people interested in reading your fiction. I have my own ideas on how fiction writers can do this though, and honestly, I think it involves giving away some fiction. (This can be a hot topic with authors, but I’m on the give away side.) I have plans to do something with this idea in the near future…

Honestly, there was so much more, but I’ll move on to the afternoon.

Ann and I went up into the Arch. If you haven’t done this and are ever in St. Louis, you really should. The arch was completed in 1965 and the futuristic feel of the transport system feels like that. It is kind of wild. At the top you have a great view and yes, you can feel the arch moving.

After the arch we headed to Anheuser Busch. This is not what you may expect if you aren’t from St. Louis. The tour is at the original buildings where they still make/bottle/can beer today. The buildings and ground are gorgeous. It is kept up like Disney. The arts and crafts tile in the Bevo building are amazing. The Clydesdale stables are wild. I have pictures which I will post when I get back home. Oh, and at the end you get two free glasses of beer. I had the American Ale–a darker beer with a more bitter taste. It was excellent.

Dinner was at the Broadway Oyster Bar in Soulard. It’s a fun kind of place built to look a bit like a shack.

Then back to the night owls. Brenda Hiatt lead the discussion on market trends we see coming. Again talk of digital. Someone else mentioned cougar stories–which brought on a lot of groans. There was also a lot of chatter about what is happening in the Inspirational market. Sounds like that is a genre in transition. After that Kay Hooper lead a session on Feng Shui. It was interesting and while I am not a total believer I do agree that how you have your space set up can really effect your energy.

And then BED!!

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend planned. More sessions for me today, lunch at Charlie Gittos, more sessions, group dinner….etc.

I’ll probably check in again tomorrow!

Hi, all! I’m checking in from the Novelist Inc. conference in St. Louis. The actual conference starts today, but yesterday was dedicated to Forensics. It was chock full of some great information. I think my favorite was listening to the FBI agent and Franklin County Sheriff’s major who were involved in solving the Shawn Hornbeck case.

Last night I went to what they call a Night Owl session–more casual chatty type sessions after 8 at night. I chose Grumpy Old Writers. Lots of talk of how to refill the well when you have written more books in the same sub-genre than you can count, how to survive years with no new book contract, what to do when your editor doesn’t return your calls. You know cheery stuff! ;-) There were no big solutions given, but it was interesting to listen to people talk who have been doing this a lot longer than me.

Oh, and OF COURSE there has been food! Kathy Steffen, Ann Christopher and I checked out Gian Tony’s on The Hill in St. Louis Wednesday night. It was fab. I love The Hill, but my favorite restaurant there (Zia’s) burned down. So, we tried something new. The food was great and our waiter was adorable. You really can’t beat a place with an adorable waiter, now can you?

Today there are many great sessions, but Ann Christopher and I are skipping out early to go up in the Arch. I am a native Missourian and lived in St. Louis for many years, but I have never been up inside the Arch. I’m looking forward to it. Then we are off for a brewery tour at Anheuser Busch and later dinner in Soulard. (another of the many interesting neighborhoods in St. Louis.)

So, that’s it for me. Check by later. I’ll try and post pictures and more info on what is happening here in St. Louis!