Read Before you Read
If you've been wondering where that Savage character has been lately, you are not alone. My critique group recently sent out search and rescue hounds. I really am alive, just living a slightly crazy life at the moment. A typical week includes 16-20 school visits, and three book signings. I have been hand signing anywhere between 400-700 books per week, which tends to leave you a little punch drunk by the end of the day. I am loving visiting with the kids, and their e-mails are the best, so I am not complaining, I just occassionaly wonder what day it is and where I am!
Fortunately, I am not the only busy one in my family. My older sister, Deanne Blackhurst, recently started a great on-line service. I will let her tell you more about it. (PS Part two of Publishing 101 will be up next week!)
Read Before you Read
by Deanne Blackhurst
I was nine years old the day I discovered the worn, faded green book in the elementary school library. It was thick full of dog eared pages with no illustrations. Not even the pencil drawing that authors sometimes add to break up the monotony of the printed word. To this day I don’t know why I checked it out. The vocabulary was challenging, especially the cockney English dialogue. But it turned out to be the most magical book I’d ever read.
It was called, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The point of my reverie into the past is to point out the foolishness of judging a book by its cover. Yet, every time we walk into an LDS bookstore, that’s exactly what we are expected to do. How many times have you bought a book with a great cover design, only to be bored before reaching the end of the first chapter?
Or have you ever passed up a book that didn’t look like it would appeal to you, only to learn later it was the hottest story since Gone with the Wind?
I know within the first ten or twenty pages whether a book is something I’m going to want to read, or something I’d prefer to pass on. The problem is I usually have to buy the book before I can read those pages and I’m just not willing to take the chance of wasting my money. It was this thought that inspired my new website, LDSBookcorner.com.
LDSBookcorner.com is a site dedicated to promoting and selling work by LDS authors. It’s a place you can drop in day or night and browse hundreds of titles by both the well known LDS writers, and those that are new or lesser know. Many of those books include excerpts of the first few pages right on line.
Perhaps the most exciting feature is the Daily Chapter. Visitors to the site can sign up to receive free emails that contain the first twenty pages of a book or novel. A different book is spotlighted each week and divided into five daily emails. This gives you a chance to see if you like the book without investing any cash.
Daily Chapter books include some of today’s top writers like H.B. Moore, J. Scott Savage and Jennie Hansen, as well as many other talented and award winning authors.
Some of the best writing ever seen both in and out of the LDS market is being produced by LDS authors today. And yet if you’re like me, you’ve don’t have a clue what a rich and diversified body of work is out there. LDS writers are producing national selling fantasy, spine tingling adventure, suspense laden mysteries as well as some of the most delightful romance and historical fiction on the market today.
Find out what you’re missing. Go to LDSBookcorner and sign up for the Daily Chapter today. All email addresses are kept strictly confidential and you can unsubscribe by the click of a link any time you choose.
If you have any questions, comments or authors that I can add to the site, feel free to drop me a line at ldsbookcorner@gmail.com.
Happy Reading
Fortunately, I am not the only busy one in my family. My older sister, Deanne Blackhurst, recently started a great on-line service. I will let her tell you more about it. (PS Part two of Publishing 101 will be up next week!)
Read Before you Read
by Deanne Blackhurst
I was nine years old the day I discovered the worn, faded green book in the elementary school library. It was thick full of dog eared pages with no illustrations. Not even the pencil drawing that authors sometimes add to break up the monotony of the printed word. To this day I don’t know why I checked it out. The vocabulary was challenging, especially the cockney English dialogue. But it turned out to be the most magical book I’d ever read.
It was called, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The point of my reverie into the past is to point out the foolishness of judging a book by its cover. Yet, every time we walk into an LDS bookstore, that’s exactly what we are expected to do. How many times have you bought a book with a great cover design, only to be bored before reaching the end of the first chapter?
Or have you ever passed up a book that didn’t look like it would appeal to you, only to learn later it was the hottest story since Gone with the Wind?
I know within the first ten or twenty pages whether a book is something I’m going to want to read, or something I’d prefer to pass on. The problem is I usually have to buy the book before I can read those pages and I’m just not willing to take the chance of wasting my money. It was this thought that inspired my new website, LDSBookcorner.com.
LDSBookcorner.com is a site dedicated to promoting and selling work by LDS authors. It’s a place you can drop in day or night and browse hundreds of titles by both the well known LDS writers, and those that are new or lesser know. Many of those books include excerpts of the first few pages right on line.
Perhaps the most exciting feature is the Daily Chapter. Visitors to the site can sign up to receive free emails that contain the first twenty pages of a book or novel. A different book is spotlighted each week and divided into five daily emails. This gives you a chance to see if you like the book without investing any cash.
Daily Chapter books include some of today’s top writers like H.B. Moore, J. Scott Savage and Jennie Hansen, as well as many other talented and award winning authors.
Some of the best writing ever seen both in and out of the LDS market is being produced by LDS authors today. And yet if you’re like me, you’ve don’t have a clue what a rich and diversified body of work is out there. LDS writers are producing national selling fantasy, spine tingling adventure, suspense laden mysteries as well as some of the most delightful romance and historical fiction on the market today.
Find out what you’re missing. Go to LDSBookcorner and sign up for the Daily Chapter today. All email addresses are kept strictly confidential and you can unsubscribe by the click of a link any time you choose.
If you have any questions, comments or authors that I can add to the site, feel free to drop me a line at ldsbookcorner@gmail.com.
Happy Reading
Jeff Savage — 2/23/2009 10:34:00 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
I like this idea a lot! Thanks for setting it up, Deanne! :-)
I think this is a great idea! I like the idea of being able to sample books by a variety of authors, especially authors whose work I haven't tried before.
This is one of those weird coincidences - today I was checking out who had visited my website recently and noticed a referral from an LDSBookcorner.com. I followed the link and was impressed by the set up and the links and information available, including current Whitney nominees. Then they're posting on our blog! And it's Jeff's sister! :)
I'm going to go back and do an even more in depth visit.
Thank you for your warm support. I am very excited about LDSBookcorner. There is some first rate writing going on out there by LDS writers, but much of is passes under most peoples radar. And that shouldn't be the case. As I have been receiving the first twenty pages of many manuscripts, I have been astounded at the quality and variety of books, especially fiction(my love)that is available. The first wave of daily chapters went out this week and the feedback has been encouraging. Please pass the word along, and if you're a writer, CONTACT ME!
Post a Comment
<< Home