OH. MY. LUCKY. STARS!
by Pam Hillman
With ebook sales rocketing skyward, established publishers, authors and readers alike are taking a second look at electronic publishing. Tyndale House Publishers' answer is the Digital First Program.
Tyndale House Publishers is a Christian publisher that publishes Bibles, fiction, and non-fiction. They’re probably best known for publishing the Left Behind series by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, along with a host of amazingly talented and prolific authors. I am very blessed to have been picked up by them because they are one of the most established and well-respected publishing houses in the industry.
This past spring, Tyndale decided to offer a new model of publishing called “Digital First”, which is just what it implies, digital first with print books to (hopefully) follow. With ebooks quickly surpassing print books in sales, they asked a select group of agents to send proposals from their unpublished authors who had completed manuscripts ready to go. My agent sent one of mine, and I was offered a contract, along with 4 other unpublished authors: 3 fiction and one non-fiction. My book, titled Stealing Jake, released July 1, 2011 as an ebook. Generally, it takes 12-18 months for a print book to hit the shelves, but Tyndale put these ebooks on a fast track to publication and had them available in about six weeks.
Tyndale launched the program in July 2011 with four fiction titles and one non-fiction title. Digital First’s initial ebooks include Delivery by Diana Prusik, Cash Burn by Michael Berrier, Stealing Jake by Pam Hillman, The Reinvention of Leona Harper by Lynne Gentry and a non-fiction title, 40 Days without Food: Divine Goodness to a Starving Soul by Russ Masterson.
Right after the announcements came out, someone asked me this burning question, "Why did you go through Tyndale to do an ebook, when you could have gone directly to Amazon?"
Seriously?
First reason, because Tyndale launched a Digital First Initiative, and I was blessed enough to be one of the 5 debut authors chosen to launch the program.
Next, are you ready for this?
My publisher is Tyndale House Publishers!
Oh.My.Lucky.Stars!
I could stop right there, because that's reason enough in and of itself, but if you want more, here you go:
My book was edited by Tyndale editors. They were awesome! The entire process was as smooth as silk. My cover was designed by Tyndale cover designers. And I love it! My book is backed by Tyndale's good name. Whoa! Tyndale has marketing and publicity power. That I don't have... Tyndale did all the work to get my book listed on Amazon, CBD, B&N, and Mobipocket.
And finally, I am a Tyndale author, not just another name on Amazon.
How much is that worth to me? I can't even begin to measure that. I have no clout or pull with readers. Sure, some of my friends and family would have bought my book if I put it up on my own, but then that would have been the end of it, unless I got lucky as a few do. And more power to them!
And if this Digital First Initiative is as successful as it's shaping up to be, I might even see Stealing Jake in print next. This is a win-win situation for the Digital First authors and for Tyndale, and I'm over-the-moon excited to be partnering with one of the most respected publishing houses in the industry on this new venture.
Here are three wonderful articles that shed more light on Tyndale’s Digital First Initiative:
- http://www.christianpost.com/news/tyndale-house-launches-ebook-publishing-initiative-50771/
- http://writerinterrupted.com/2011/07/05/whats-direct-to-ebook-publishing/
- http://writerinterrupted.com/2011/07/07/direct-to-ebook-author-pam-hillman/
STEALING JAKE
by Pam Hillman
When Livy O'Brien spies a young boy jostling a man walking along the boardwalk, she recognizes the act for what it is. After all, she used to be known as Light-fingered Livy. But that was before she put her past behind her and moved to the growing town of Chestnut, Illinois, where she's helping to run an orphanage. Now she'll do almost anything to protect the street kids like herself.Sheriff's deputy Jake Russell had no idea what he was in for when he ran into Livy--literally--while chasing down a pickpocket. With a rash of robberies and a growing number of street kids in town--as well as a loan on the family farm that needs to be paid off--Jake doesn't have time to pursue a girl. Still, he can't seem to get Livy out of his mind. He wants to get to know her better . . . but Livy isn't willing to trust any man, especially not a lawman.
Interwoven throughout is a group of street kids arrested in Chicago and sold as child labor. Leading this band of ragamuffins is young Luke, a scared, determined orphan intent on rescuing his little brother at any cost.
Stealing Jake is free for a limited time on Amazon, B&N & CBD. It was #1 on the top 100 Free Kindle list at Amazon for 7 days! Mind boggling and a testament to Tyndale’s clout as a publisher of quality fiction.
Barnes and Noble Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stealing-jake-pam-hillman/1103995167?ean=9781414366616&itm=1&usri=stealing%2bjake
To celebrate the release of Stealing Jake, Pam is giving away a Kindle. Deadline to enter the contest is September 30th.
www.pamhillman.com, www.calicotrails.blogspot.com, www.seekerville.blogspot.com
Tyndale? I'd say "Oh my lucky stars" too! What a wonderful opportunity for you, Pam.
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by today to share your publication journey and all the info about Tyndale's new program. It sounds like they're really trying to keep up with market trends.
I pray God richly blesses this new path He's taking you on.
Brenda
BTW, Pam - I've got Stealing Jake on my Kindle app on my computer. Now I just need a Kindle. :)
ReplyDeleteBlogger is being difficult today. Posting anonymously. Shhh, don't tell blogger who I am.
ReplyDeleteYes, you do! lol I love my Kindle. Just wish I had an extra 24 hours in the day to read.
PH, the author of Stealing Jake
Hey, that rhymes!
Cool beans!
Every time I read a description of your book, Pam, I vow to stifle my fear of seizing up my laptop by downloading your book and resolve to just go for it! Must remember to thoroughly back up everything first though. LOL.
ReplyDeleteI'm thrilled for you and agree that being a Tyndale author beats being an amazon author hands down. I've worked in libraries for 20 years and I can't tell you how important a known publisher is to our purchasing dollar. Not that I haven't taken a risk a time or two with a self-published author, but the backbone of every collection I have developed has come from solid relationships with good publishers.
And the editing point...HUGE!!!!! I can't tell you how many self-published books I haven't bought because of the lack of detail to proof-reading! Never mind the value of having a critical eye help refine the writing process in general.
Kav, so glad you stopped by. I agree. That's not to say that a self-published book can't be top of the line. Because they can be. But I love my publisher, love the exposure, and the opportunity to learn from some of the best in the business. Tyndale rocks!
ReplyDeleteI've read a bit about libraries and their stance on ebooks, the lending rules, etc. I wonder how that's going to shake out down the road. It will be interesting to see.
Pam Hillman
Go for it, Kav! You can do it.
ReplyDelete