Finding a New Author is a Little Bit Like Falling in Love - Monique Domovitch - Giveaway

Finding a New Author is a Little Bit Like Falling in Love

Guest post by Monique Domovitch

Finding an author I really enjoy is a little bit like falling in love. I never know quite what it is that author has, but I sure know it when I read him.

The first time I fell in love like that was years ago and the author was Wilbur Smith. I think I hadn't read ten pages of his book--can't remember the title anymore--when I knew this was it. I could spend the rest of my life in bed with this writer's books.

Over the next few years, Wilbur and I traveled Africa together, and he introduced me to animals I'd never heard of, and villains the likes of which I hope to never meet. I was swept into his stories of love and passion and greed; stories from which I never wanted to walk away. But then, the inevitable happened. I caught up with his books and was left adrift until his next book hit the stands. And I, fickle reader that I am, had an affair with a few other authors and then it happened again. I read Dominic Dunne. And wham. I was in love again.

With Dominic, I spent time with the truly rich and the truly manipulative. How can anyone forget books like The Two Mrs. Grenvilles, or An Inconvenient Woman, or A Season in Purgatory. Once I discovered them, I devoured his books. Forgive me Dominic, for I betrayed you when I discovered my next big love, Nelson De Mille.

De Mille is a master of sharp, snappy talk and he makes all those words come out of the mouth of a sexy good cop with a bad attitude--John Corey. Now here's the funny part. I don't really know what John Corey looks like,  except that he has scars on his chest from some bullet wounds. I also know that John Corey is almost as fickle when it comes to love as I am. He seems to fall in love with a different woman in almost every one of his adventures. That is, until he met and married Kate. But who knows, so far she's only been around for a couple of novels. For all I know she'll be dropped off, maybe even killed off in the next book, and then sexy John will be available again and I can go on dreaming.

Now here's something you might not know about me. I'm married, and, get this, my husband doesn't mind my little dalliances with all these authors...as long as I don't meet them in person that is.

And why am I blabbing about all these loves of mine? because, my dears, every time I start a new project, I hope with all my heart, that I infuse my novel with enough passion and ambition and greed that when you, dear reader, read my work, you will fall--perhaps just a little bit-- in love with my characters. And this I promise you. I will be kind to you, even knowing that I will never be able to write fast enough, and that you will someday leave me for some other writer. Ah, l'amour.

About the author:

Monique Domovitch was born in Canada, where she led a number of successful careers, from top model during the 70s, to financial adviser with her own national television show. Now, in what she calls the best part of her life, she launches into yet another career, this time as a fiction writer. Now, with two novels under her belt, and a contract for three murder-mysteries with Obsidian, she seems once again, headed for success.

Find out more at MoniqueDomovitch.com.

Synopsis:

Set in New York and Paris amid the glamorous and competitive worlds of art and real estate, Scorpio Rising takes the reader from the late 1940s to the 1960s through the tumultuous lives of its heroes.There is Alex Ivanov, the son of a Russian immigrant and part-time prostitute. He yearns to escape his sordid life and achieve fame and fortune. His dreams of becoming a world-class builder are met with countless obstacles, yet he perseveres in the hope of someday receiving the recognition he craves.Half a world away, Brigitte Dartois is an abused teenager who runs into the arms of a benefactor with an agenda all his own. When she finds out that her boss has an ulterior motive, she flees again, determined to earn her living through her art. This career brings her fame, but also the unwanted attention of her early abuser.

Monique Domovitch’s debut novel, Scorpio Rising, is a compelling tale filled with finely etched characters and a superb understanding of the power of ambition. Scorpio Rising promises to resonate with all who once had a dream.

Buy on Amazon for Kindle or in Print.

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With All the Publishing Options, What's an Author to Do?

With All the Publishing Options,
What's an Author to Do?
Guest post by Monique Domovitch

I’m one of the lucky ones, one of the authors with an agent and not only one, but two publishers, yet I’ve chosen to also self publish a few of my books. Whenever I tell other authors I get responses ranging from, ‘you’re so lucky,’ to, ‘why would you choose to get published when you can do it yourself?’

There is no question that there are distinct advantages to self publishing, such as; a much larger percentage of the money from the sale of those books, especially in the case of e-books; complete creative control; and last but not least, no dreaded manuscript-delivery deadlines. These three factors alone can be great incentives to chuck the traditional route and self publish.

However, there are also disadvantages to self publishing, the main one being that a large amount of an author’s time will be dedicated to doing other things than writing. For me, that was a big one. Maybe not all authors are like me, but I tend to be totally focussed on whatever my goal of the moment may be. For example, I have found that when I need to work on promotion, I find it difficult to do any writing. And there are just so many things to do when you self publish. Of course you do your editing. Authors always have to edit. But generally you also need another set of eyes, which means that you have to find your own editors, and pay them. Then there is the formatting of the manuscript. There is the picking of the cover, or even more time consuming, making it yourself. Not to mention checking the galleys and then distributing and promoting, and promoting, and promoting and promoting. That can be so time consuming that you feel like your life is made up only of twitter and facebook and blogs and advertising. All of this can entail months of work beyond the original writing of the novel. And then there is the cost$$$$$!

The funny thing is that I already had an agent when I decided to self-publish a few of my novels. The main reason being that these particular books were written in a different genre from what my agent was trying to sell. And at the time I seriously thought I would no longer write in this genre. (Since then those novels have been receiving such great reviews that I’m seriously questioning that decision. But that’s another story.)

All in all, it’s been a great experiment. I now have two manuscripts delivered— one to each of my two publishers—and two self-published books on Amazon. My self-published novels are enjoying great success, getting rave reviews and good sales. I said good sales—not great. I’ve spent so much on advertizing these books that I’m still in the red financially with them.

Meanwhile, I’ve got a nice advance—only in the four figures so no great shakes— from the first publisher. But hey, I’m already in the black with that one. And since delivering it, I’ve had only one short rewrite. I am no longer spending time working on anything else but my next books, or money on any other aspect of it.

As I see it, traditional publishers sell books—a lot of books—way more than I could ever hope to sell on my own, unless I turned out to be the next Amanda Hocking—wouldn’t that be nice?—and a small percent of a large number of sales will equal more than a large percentage of a small number of sales.

And then, there is also the issue of self confidence. Until I actually got a publisher to buy one of my books, somewhere in the back of my mind I always wondered whether I really had the talent, or if I was only deluding myself.

When I got that first contract, I knew, I just knew, that if a publisher was willing to pay good money for my novel, then I couldn’t be crazy. I really did have the talent. And that alone made going the traditional route well worth it.

About the author:
Monique Domovitch was born (as the first of 10 children) in Canada, where she led a number of successful careers, from top model during the 70s, to financial adviser with her own national television show. Now, in what she calls the best part of her life, she launches into yet another career, this time as a fiction writer.

Connect with Monique at moniquedomovitch.com, Twitter, and Facebook.  


This post is part of a weekly feature of guest posts about various topics related to writing and publishing. If you are interested in doing a guest post, please contact me.

Last week's post - 7 Signs that Indie Publishing is Right for You by Terri Giuliano Long.

While you are here, please also check out the previous posts included in this feature.