I received a contract from Dailey Swan Publishing to publish my thriller, The Centerpoint, in 2012. I am still working out some language in the contract (no agent, so I'm handling it), but the publisher has agreed to add me to the 2012 list.
Dailey Swan is a small press located in Northern California. They were interested in my book back in October, 2009, the same week I got my agent for another book. The agent told me not to sign with anyone until he had a chance to review the manuscript. He never did. When I became agent-less, I started to send it out to publishers, but could not find any takers. I decided to test the waters with Dailey Swan a few weeks ago and the publisher remembered the book. I told him my agent story and asked it he was still interested in The Centerpoint.
He was!
I'm so glad I didn't burn any bridges. He said he had a spot on the 2013 list, but I asked (groveled) if I could be on the 2012 and he said no guarantees, but he'd try his best because he really loved the manuscript.
I had a chance to go with other small presses, but I turned them down. I went with Dailey Swan because they are a commercial publisher, which means they produce print runs in the hundreds or thousands rather than one at a time (called Print On Demand, POD). Their books are available at discount through national distributors (although on a smaller scale than the major publishers, of course) and are returnable by book stores. This is key to having books available in stores. They must be able to return them to the distribution sites. PODs are not returnable or available at discounts, so sales are typically poor.
I know it's a long wait, but the publishing industry works a slooow pace. I'll probably have four more middle grade books written by the time it comes out. Not a bad problem to have. I have a lot of agent interest in my most recent works, so this may be my year. I'm still writing, of course, and book #7 is just underway.
I'd like to thank all of you who contributed character names to this novel Yup, they are still in there and you will be duly rewarded. A special thanks to Ms. Beebs for being my front-line beta reader. She gets to read the crap before it gets spun into gold. Somehow she has survived six novels-worth.
This is the only adult book on my list, so I may go with a pseudonym so I can use my real name for the middle grade line. You only get one chance to be a "debut" author and that will be more important in the promotion of the MG books, assuming I get an agent and sign with a large press (hey, it could happen).
The Centerpoint by Rob Van Dell.
It has a pleasant ring to it and will look nice on the cover. Maybe, maybe not. Nothing to worry about for a few months.
In case you're wondering what it's about, here's the pitch (with the first BB shout out):
Spoiler
An unexpected birthday gift sends a young man on a quest to uncover a Native legend and clear his late father's name.
When Dennis Kozma turns twenty-one, he receives a package containing a list of names, an old map and a drawing of a Native American warrior named Komaket. The package is from his father who died suddenly ten years earlier just after he was accused of defrauding the town.
The map leads him to the four town cemeteries where he finds the graves of the men on the list. The graves belong to four members of a group known as the Hermillion Club, whose constituents await the return of Komaket in the hopes of renewed life through the native concept of jorva, or reincarnation.
Dennis must solve the puzzle of the grave patterns, uncover the Hermillion Club's motives, and clear his father’s name before the long-portended arrival of the mighty Komaket can change this quiet New England town forever.
THE CENTERPOINT is a 72,000 word thriller.
When Dennis Kozma turns twenty-one, he receives a package containing a list of names, an old map and a drawing of a Native American warrior named Komaket. The package is from his father who died suddenly ten years earlier just after he was accused of defrauding the town.
The map leads him to the four town cemeteries where he finds the graves of the men on the list. The graves belong to four members of a group known as the Hermillion Club, whose constituents await the return of Komaket in the hopes of renewed life through the native concept of jorva, or reincarnation.
Dennis must solve the puzzle of the grave patterns, uncover the Hermillion Club's motives, and clear his father’s name before the long-portended arrival of the mighty Komaket can change this quiet New England town forever.
THE CENTERPOINT is a 72,000 word thriller.
