Tales as Old as Time: Guest Blog

With Kristie Cook

Genesis

A father who reveals his truth.
Twins who take different paths—one light, one dark.
Angels who have plans for them both
And Demons who do as well.
So the Earthly battle for souls ignites…

A tale that is over 2,000 years old, this is the story of the Amadis beginnings.

Promise

When Alexis Ames is attacked by creatures that can’t be real, she decides it’s time she learns who she really is, with or without the help of her mother, who guards their family’s secrets closely. After meeting the inhumanly attractive, multi-talented Tristan Knight, however, Alexis retreats behind her façade of normalcy…until she discovers he’s not exactly normal either. Then their secrets begin to unravel.

Their union brings hope and promise to her family’s secret society, the Angels’ army, and to the future of mankind. But it also incites a dangerous pursuit by the enemy – Satan’s minions and Tristan’s creators. After all, Alexis and Tristan are a match made in Heaven and in Hell.

Purpose

Lost in despair, Alexis teeters on the edge of an abyss, her lifeline of hope fraying into a thin thread. If it snaps, she’ll plunge into complete darkness. With the help of her son and her writing, she’s been able to hold on. Until now. Erratic impulses, disturbing delusions and her own demonic blood threaten her sanity. When she’s forced to choose between hanging onto hope or letting go to serve her Amadis purposes, she faces a decision with inconceivable sacrifices.

Alexis runs to the one place she thinks will provide answers, only to find herself at the center of another battle of good versus evil, not only with the Daemoni, not only within herself…but also against the worst opponent imaginable. But even if she wins, what will she lose?

Thank you, Patti, for hosting me and the Romancing Your Dark Side Tour! It’s such a pleasure to be here.

I was out the other night celebrating Promise’s entry into the Top 100 Paid in the Kindle Store and got to talking with a man who knew nothing about the publishing industry but was/is a very astute businessman. He asked about my publisher and I explained the chaos of the industry and how my business partner and I saw an opportunity to become a publisher. It went a little like this:

“So you made it to the bestsellers list on your own, without a major player backing you?” he asked.

“Correct. It took a lot of blood, sweat, tears and much trial and error to get there, but we did it.”

“Are you the first?”

I laughed. “Oh, no. There have been many – not a ton, definitely not all indie authors have made it, but there have been many.”

“It must have been a big boost to their careers and businesses.”

I explained how Amanda Hocking went on to sign a $2 million contract with Simon & Schuster to publish three of her books and how John Locke also signed a contract with Simon & Schuster to distribute his books.

“What about the others?”

“They keep writing more books, selling more and laughing all the way to the bank. Some sign with publishers and some don’t, enjoying their lives as indies.”

“So you – all of you – have tens of thousands of readers who go on to read your next books?”

“Right. I get a lot of fan mail from readers begging for the next book.”

“And now you have a built-in market for that book.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Publishers put out crap by people whose names shouldn’t be anywhere near a book [he was talking about *cough* Snookie *cough*] because they have an existing audience. Now you and these other indies who hit the bestsellers list have an existing audience. So instead of the archaic, bottle-neck process you describe with agents and piles of manuscripts that don’t get the attention they deserve and how difficult it is for a new author, why don’t the publishers or at least the agents just look for indies on the bestsellers lists? Why not forego the whole query process and let the agents and publishers look for their next client just like most businesses must do? Seems that it would be much for efficient and less costly for all involved.”

I nearly broke down laughing. Of course, I might have had a little too much champagne, but it made me laugh because this is what I said nearly two years ago, when contemplating going indie. I predicted then that in 10 years, agents would be the ones searching for authors (as it should be) by finding those indies on the bestsellers lists with books and writing styles they like, researching the author to see if they’d be compatible personality-wise (we try to make it as easy to find us as possible) and then contacting the author, requesting an opportunity to pitch themselves as the best agent for that author’s career. I’ve since changed that prediction to 5 years.

No more query letters. No more slush piles. No more agents spinning their wheels with publishers trying to get a title sold. No more publishers investing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in a debut author who falls flat in the market, thereby discouraging them from investing money in yet another debut author. No more authors giving up and tucking away fantastic books under their beds because they couldn’t get past the query process.

I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was 22 years old, but it was still a little shocking to hear this man with such business acumen say exactly what I’d been thinking for so long. It won’t be long before agents and publishers start catching on – maybe even 3 years, not 5. After all, this is how Amazon finds their clients for their new publishing venture. Perhaps they’re onto something.

About the Author

Kristie Cook is a lifelong, award-winning writer in various genres, from marketing communications to fantasy fiction. She continues to write the Soul Savers Series, with the first two books, Promise and Purpose, available now and the third book, Devotion, coming February 2012. She’s also written a companion novella, Genesis, coming October 2011.

Besides writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and riding on the back of a motorcycle. She has lived in ten states, but currently calls Southwest Florida home with her husband, three teenage sons, a beagle and a puggle. She can be found at:

Author's Website & Blog: http://www.KristieCook.com

Series Website: http://www.SoulSaversSeries.com

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Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kristiecookauth

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