THIS WEEK novelist Joe Nassise and his co-author Jon Merz are launching the first thriller in English, HELLstalkers, to be released exclusively for the smartphone platform. The first six episodes will be available for free download as a serial over several months. Since Joe is a well-established author in print, in both the US and Europe, I was curious to learn why he is turning to the cellphone, of all things, as his next publishing platform. Happily, Joe consented to an interview. Today, I post the first of two parts, this one exploring Joe’s experience with the traditional routes to publication and distribution.
BECOMING A WRITER SERIOUSLY [BAWS]: I gather that your novels started appearing in print in 2001. Who was your first publisher and how did you find it? As an author in PRINT, has the experience been satisfying?
NASSISE: My first novel, Riverwatch, was published by a small press publisher out of Florida. I was recommended to them by another writer I knew and they asked to see the book. They offered me an advance paying contract and published the book in trade paperback later that year.
Unfortunately for the other authors they brought on board, the publisher had no idea what they were doing and went out of business a few years later. In the meantime, though, Riverwatch was nominated for both the International Horror Guild Award and the Bram Stoker Award. That brought it to the attention of Pocket Books, who acquired the mass market paperback rights in 2003. Pocket also bought my second novel, Heretic.
I’d say, yes, the experience has been satisfying for the most part. Publishing can be an archaic business (for instance, what other business do you know where the retail stores can destroy the product and yet still get a full refund – known in the industry as returns) but I’ve done pretty well for myself over the last few years and still enjoy having a new book released.
BAWS: You are a genre writer. How did you decide to go that route as a writer?
NASSISE: I write what I enjoy, actually. I grew up reading fantasy, horror, and science fiction and my writing tastes have simply gravitated to match my reading tastes. I’ve certainly grown as a reader, but I still love the otherworldliness that genre fiction brings to the table.
BAWS: As a writer, you have strong connections with German publishers? How did that happen?
NASSISE: It’s funny, but my German career has actually taken off faster than my career here in the US. When Heretic, the first book in my Templar Chronicles series, was released by Pocket, an editor from Droemer-Knaur acquired German language rights, along with the rights to the next two books in the series. (Rights that Pocket, incidentally, actually passed on when my editor at Pocket moved on and the series lost its in-house champion.) Der Ketzer went on to hit the German paperback bestseller list and its two sequels, Der Engel and Die Schatten, also did very well.
When I was ready to take my next book, Eyes To See, to market, we actually took it to my German editor first, as they had been the ones supporting my career for the last few years. Der Schattenseher was just published in December in trade paperback and its two sequels will follow next year.
But there’s good news for my US fans as well. The entire Jeremiah Hunt trilogy was acquired this summer by Tor for hardcover publication, with Eyes To See debuting in winter 2011.
BAWS: Have you had any direct experience with Print-on-Demand publishing?
NASSISE: Aside from printing up those original copies of Riverwatch, no, I haven’t. The problem with print on demand, in my view, is the lack of distribution. Der Ketzer was a success because the publisher used its extensive distribution network to make the book available to readers, 99,9% of which had never heard of me, it being my first German publication. If a writer has an extensive network, such as a public speaker or well-established author, then I think print on demand can be especially helpful. I think it is tough for a new writer to break out that way, however.
TOMORROW, LEARN ABOUT NASSISE’S EXPERIENCE WITH NEW DISTRIBUTION MEDIA.
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