Christine Nolfi Guest Post & GIVEAWAY (author of "Second Chance Grill")
Hey Everyone!!
Let me just start off by saying "UGH!!" I hate the end of Daylight Savings!!! I hate it that it gets so early dark, and that right now it is only 7:11 on a Sunday!!! And I woke up at 5:30!!! Ridiculous!!
Anyway, to make this early morning a bit better I've got a special treat today!!
A Guest Post from the author of Second Chance Grill Christine Nolfi, AND a GIVEAWAY for both a US AND International winner!!!
Anyway, please welcome Christine Nolfi!!!
After publishing three novels and enjoying many 5-star reviews I still catch myself wondering, How did I arrive here?
Like many novelists I thought the road to publication involved a literary agent, the perfect pitch, and a New York editor. Once upon a time, that was the only path. And, believe me, I followed every rule listed for succeeding in the traditional method.
I managed a PR firm and honed my skills writing public relations copy for companies. When I began writing fiction full-time, I promptly found a critique group through the northeast Ohio chapter of RWA. The first time I read a chapter aloud to ten new critique partners, the room spiraled into silence. Then one of the members said, “Um, you should really enter your book in a contest.”
I did, and Second Chance Grill became a finalist at a large RWA conference in New Jersey where I mingled with 500-plus authors and editors. Soon after Treasure Me became a finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards and literary agents began calling from as far away as Los Angeles. Both books were shopped in New York, and it seemed a publishing contract was at my fingertips. Alas.
Here’s the rub: traditional publishers prefer to chase last year’s bestseller. They prefer books easily niched as Romance or Thriller” or YA. If a book blends genres it’s harder to know where to place it in a physical bookstore.
Think about it. If you walk into Barnes & Noble, you’ll find books sorted by genre. You stroll down an aisle reserved for romances or contemporary fiction. The horror novels roost together as do the literary works. Not that I care—in 2011, I took the leap and published independently.
It’s no accident bestsellers like the current fave Shades of Grey start out as indie novels. Writers flying solo are beholden to nothing but their boundless creativity. They take risks. They bring something fresh and new to the world of literature. They use the best elements of mystery, comedy and romance to write books like Second Chance Grill, which is already racking up 5-star reviews on Amazon and GoodReads.
And guess what? Traditional publishers do take notice. Every one of the 10 top selling indie novelists of 2011 promptly signed plumb deals in New York in 2012.
Will I follow them someday? Honestly I don’t know. Building a readership my own way, one book at a time, is simply divine. It’s difficult to imagine leaving the party.
About the Author:
Some writers are gifted with an unusual life and I’m certainly one of those. I’ve lived in Ohio, Virginia, California, Utah and now South Carolina. In college I was featured on the front page of the Houston Post for a lark that erased all my debt. I met my four adopted children in the sweltering heat of the tropics. I helped build several companies and was lucky enough to earn a living doing what I love best—writing—in a PR firm I owned.
In 2004, I made the wisest and most irrational decision of my life—I began writing fiction full-time. All those years of hard work pay off daily in sweet notes and comments by readers. Please continue the mail, tweets and comments on Facebook, Goodreads and other sites. I cherish your support and love chatting with readers.
You can find and chat with Christine on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Her Website!
And you can find Second Chance Grill on Amazon, and her novel Treasure Me Here, and The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge Here!
Now to the GIVEAWAY!!
Thanks to Christine (!!!) I will be giving away one Paperback edition and one Ebook edition of Second Chance Grill!! Unfortunately, due to high shipping costs the Paperback edition will only be for a US winner ONLY, but the ebook edition is International!!! :)
All you have to fill out the Rafflecopter form below!
It will open until the 23rd!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Happy Sunday Everyone!
Let me just start off by saying "UGH!!" I hate the end of Daylight Savings!!! I hate it that it gets so early dark, and that right now it is only 7:11 on a Sunday!!! And I woke up at 5:30!!! Ridiculous!!
Anyway, to make this early morning a bit better I've got a special treat today!!
A Guest Post from the author of Second Chance Grill Christine Nolfi, AND a GIVEAWAY for both a US AND International winner!!!
Anyway, please welcome Christine Nolfi!!!
After publishing three novels and enjoying many 5-star reviews I still catch myself wondering, How did I arrive here?
Like many novelists I thought the road to publication involved a literary agent, the perfect pitch, and a New York editor. Once upon a time, that was the only path. And, believe me, I followed every rule listed for succeeding in the traditional method.
I managed a PR firm and honed my skills writing public relations copy for companies. When I began writing fiction full-time, I promptly found a critique group through the northeast Ohio chapter of RWA. The first time I read a chapter aloud to ten new critique partners, the room spiraled into silence. Then one of the members said, “Um, you should really enter your book in a contest.”
I did, and Second Chance Grill became a finalist at a large RWA conference in New Jersey where I mingled with 500-plus authors and editors. Soon after Treasure Me became a finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards and literary agents began calling from as far away as Los Angeles. Both books were shopped in New York, and it seemed a publishing contract was at my fingertips. Alas.
Here’s the rub: traditional publishers prefer to chase last year’s bestseller. They prefer books easily niched as Romance or Thriller” or YA. If a book blends genres it’s harder to know where to place it in a physical bookstore.
Think about it. If you walk into Barnes & Noble, you’ll find books sorted by genre. You stroll down an aisle reserved for romances or contemporary fiction. The horror novels roost together as do the literary works. Not that I care—in 2011, I took the leap and published independently.
It’s no accident bestsellers like the current fave Shades of Grey start out as indie novels. Writers flying solo are beholden to nothing but their boundless creativity. They take risks. They bring something fresh and new to the world of literature. They use the best elements of mystery, comedy and romance to write books like Second Chance Grill, which is already racking up 5-star reviews on Amazon and GoodReads.
And guess what? Traditional publishers do take notice. Every one of the 10 top selling indie novelists of 2011 promptly signed plumb deals in New York in 2012.
Will I follow them someday? Honestly I don’t know. Building a readership my own way, one book at a time, is simply divine. It’s difficult to imagine leaving the party.
About the Author:
Some writers are gifted with an unusual life and I’m certainly one of those. I’ve lived in Ohio, Virginia, California, Utah and now South Carolina. In college I was featured on the front page of the Houston Post for a lark that erased all my debt. I met my four adopted children in the sweltering heat of the tropics. I helped build several companies and was lucky enough to earn a living doing what I love best—writing—in a PR firm I owned.
In 2004, I made the wisest and most irrational decision of my life—I began writing fiction full-time. All those years of hard work pay off daily in sweet notes and comments by readers. Please continue the mail, tweets and comments on Facebook, Goodreads and other sites. I cherish your support and love chatting with readers.
You can find and chat with Christine on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Her Website!
And you can find Second Chance Grill on Amazon, and her novel Treasure Me Here, and The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge Here!
Now to the GIVEAWAY!!
Thanks to Christine (!!!) I will be giving away one Paperback edition and one Ebook edition of Second Chance Grill!! Unfortunately, due to high shipping costs the Paperback edition will only be for a US winner ONLY, but the ebook edition is International!!! :)
All you have to fill out the Rafflecopter form below!
It will open until the 23rd!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Happy Sunday Everyone!
The Romance Bookie :)
Mandy, many thanks for hosting the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThank you for allowing the giveaway! :)
DeleteThanks Christine for the giveaway. I hope I will make it this time around.
ReplyDelete