How to Get The Willow and the Stone

I’m going to tell you this up front:  my publisher’s main genre is erotica.  Yup.  Lots of lusty, sexy books.  It’s what New Concepts Publishing is known for.  A friend of mine who happens to work for NCP mentioned they were looking to start up a mainstream fiction line in addition to the heaving bosoms and chiseled chests of their usual offerings. 

So with an ‘in’ to this publisher, I sent in a query and my manuscript.  I’ve been trying to get publishers to give my book a chance for a very long time, and despite it winning awards and compliments from several published authors, it has always been rejected. 

Not this time.  Lo and behold, NCP accepted it and sent me a contract, which I lost no time in signing.  When you’ve been trying to get a book published for the last 25 years, you too will say, “Why the heck not?”  Besides, anyone who knows me realizes I'm no prude.  I'll hang out with the erotica bunch without a complaint.

I’m not quite clear if they’ll be offering several mainstream science fiction and horror books along with mine or if I’m their guinea pig to see if this is going to work.  But be warned, should you decide to buy The Willow and the Stone directly from New Concepts Publishing, you might see some jaw-dropping book covers on the site.  Consider yourselves cautioned.

So this is how it works:  the tentative release date for The Willow and the Stone is March 16.  At that time you can download an e-copy directly from the publisher that is compatible for the Kindle, Nook, and all those other e-readers.  You can even have it downloaded to your computer, though you might have to contact customer service to get the correct type of file for that.

Approximately eight weeks later, NCP will send the electronic version of my book to various distributors including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Fictionwise, and others.  So if you prefer to get it from your favorite bookseller that way, you’ll have a slightly longer wait.

If the e-book sells enough copies, it will be deemed an acceptable risk to be put into print.  NCP usually offers it directly as well as through distributors that way.  So if your preference is tree book to e-book, it could be an even longer wait.

Whew!  Did you get all that?  I hope so … and I hope with all my heart you enjoy The Willow and the Stone, especially since I’m writing a sequel to it. 

In a future post, I’ll tell you the story of how this book came to be.  It has undergone some huge changes since its humble beginnings, and the aliens I started with are nothing like the insectile ones who populate this tale now.  Space vampires, anyone?