This week’s GoodEReader Ebook of the Week is Hope Road, a detective mystery with a bit of thriller thrown in, thanks to author John Barlow. His metamorphosis from traditionally published author with a large imprint to indie author with more creative and responsibility is detailed below.
“My previous books have been published by large, mainstream publishers. However, as I wrote HOPE ROAD and worked with my editor/agent on editing it, I got more and more interested in the burgeoning ebook market. The new possibilities for writers seemed amazing. Simply, I wanted to be part of the revolution.
I’d already tried self-pubbing with a light, fun piece called WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO JERRY PICCO?, written under the pseudonym Joe Florez. But with HOPE ROAD things were different. The novel took a year to write, and John Ray, the main character, is the best I’ve ever created. There’s now a nine-book series planned. It’s a massive project, and clearly HOPE ROAD, as the first novel in the series, is very special to me.
So, I decided to e-publish, and to do things properly. No more crumby covers. I hunted down my favourite cover artist (she doesn’t normally do private commissions but I begged); I got the manuscript professionally proofread and professionally converted to ebook formats. The total cost was about $1000. A good investment? I dunno. This is all new to me.”
Barlow did point out some of the things that were missing when an author decides to self-publish, namely things like promotion, professional reviews, and support from the imprint. But he points out that blogging and tools like social media are opportunities that are available to any author, regardless of publication outlet.
To receive your free copy of Hope Road, click HERE and enter the following code at checkout: TT99T
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.
