A Warning from Joe Konrath

Joe Konrath has written yet another great article on the hazards of accepting a book deal with legacy publishers. Here is an excerpt:

I've seen several authors who have done well self-pubbing, then taken a legacy deal. If you can get a big chunk of money upfront, go for it. But it has to be walking-away money (meaning never expect to ever get your rights back or earn another penny.)

I've been watching the self-pubbed authors who have signed legacy deals. Watching their Amazon rankings. Watching the bestseller lists. While I'm not privy to details of their contracts, I haven't seen any of these authors do better with a legacy publisher than they were doing on their own.

Keep that in mind when the Big 6 contact you, saying they discovered you on Kindle and are proud to offer you a contract. Other than a huge advance, I can't see any allure at all to a legacy deal.

 For the whole article, click here.

R. J. Jagger: Best Book Covers in Town?

So I just discovered (via Twitter) the thriller writer, R. J. Jagger. Obviously, I haven't yet had to time to read one of his books (though I did read the first few pages of A Way With Murder and absolutely loved it). But what I was drawn to most were his wonderful, retro-themed book covers. Here is a selection of three:

A Way With Murder

Dead in Hong Kong

Got the Look

Who am I?

I'm the author of an e-book called The Centaur Prince. I only started writing it last night - on Friday 13th - but I'm very excited about it. I don't think it will take me long to finish. And then there will be more: it's the first of a trilogy. The series is called "The Silent Creek Trilogy", after the sleepy little town in which the books are set.

Anyway, you'll be hearing more than enough from me before long. So, for now, I shall get back to work...