Monday, August 6, 2012

Does Size Matter?

It's always interesting to me when I hear rumors about myself, especially when they are so far-fetched that I have no clue they're even speaking about me.

The latest is how many books I've written. One "expert" said "two." So in an effort to set things straight, here's a complete list of all the books I've had published - plus a couple in the works. They're in descending chronological order:

(16) Dylan's Song (Spring 2013, Drake Valley Press)

(15) The Tempest Murders (no release date set yet)

(14) Secrets of a Dangerous Woman (September 2012, Drake Valley Press)

(13) Vicki's Key (2012, Drake Valley Press)

(12) The Banker's Greed (2011, Drake Valley Press)

(11) River Passage (2009, Drake Valley Press)

(10) Exit 22 (2008, Drake Valley Press)

(9) Songbirds are Free (2007, Drake Valley Press)

(8) Ricochet (2006, Paralee Press)

(7) Take the Mystery out of Promoting Your Book (2006, Palari Publishing)

(6) The China Conspiracy (2003, Drake Valley Press)

(5) Kickback (2002, Chicago Spectrum Press; re-released 2003, Drake Valley Press)

(4) Memento WordPerfect (Edimicro, Paris, 1987)

(3) The Dynamics of Reflex (1986, Dow Jones)

(2) The Dynamics of WordPerfect (1985, Dow Jones)

(1) Creating the Perfect Database (1984, Scott-Foresman)

I am currently working on the synopses for Books 17 and 18, which should be released around the 2014 timeframe.

Does size matter? I've worked with some of the largest publishers (Dow Jones) and some of the smallest (Paralee Press) and some in between (Palari Publishing and Drake Valley Press) and I've found it all boils down (for me) to the editor. If you have a great working relationship with the editor in charge of your book-from pre-production to the release and beyond-it makes for a great environment in which to write, regardless of the size of the company. However, there is a lot to be said for the largest publishers who can get great placement in the book stores.

What do you think? Are you enjoying your current publisher? Why or why not?