Saturday, July 26, 2014

And the Publishing Journey Begins...

As most of you know by now, The Mengele Effect didn't garner enough Amazon customer votes to win Grand Prize.  My congrats go to D.M. Pulley and her novel, The Dead Key, for taking the top spot!  After watching the download rankings move up and down all week for each of the five Finalists, it became obvious to me The Dead Key was going to end up on top; The Mengele Effect shifted from #2, to #4, to #3, to #5, and back again, along with the others.  Based on the download rankings, I wasn't surprised at all when Amazon announced the Grand Prize Winner on 21 July.  Again, congrats to D.M., and I wish her the very best of luck.  To those of you who voted for The Mengele Effect, you have my deepest thanks and appreciation.  I can't say that enough.

Winning my particular category, as I've mentioned in previous blog posts, was quite humbling.  Why my novel was chosen over 2,000 other Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror entries is a question I can't answer; I'm certain there were better novels that were, for some reason or another, passed over.  Luck and timing were on my side this year...I believe it's simple as that.  The Mengele Effect didn't make it past the pitch stage into the Second Round for both the 2012 and 2013 ABNAs, but I didn't let that stop me.  Sure glad I didn't decide to give up!  If I would've, I'd have never gotten my ugly mug in the local paper!




So what's next for The Mengele Effect?  On 10 March 2015, it will be re-released by Amazon's Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror imprint, 47North, in both hardcopy and Kindle eBook formats.  If you wish, you can pre-order a copy HERE and it'll be delivered on 10 March.  Will it be the same book you've read before (if you've read it, that is)?  For the most part, yes, but there will be changes.  The basic storyline will remain the same, but it'll be BETTER.  I can't stress how excited I am about all of this, and this is why...

Immediately after learning The Mengele Effect had won the 2014 ABNA Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror title (which still gives me the chills, by the way), I was contacted by Jason Kirk, Editorial Director for 47North.  [That's right, I have an E-D-I-T-O-R.  How cool is that!]  Over the past week or so, we exchanged emails back and forth regarding what he and his team thought were some areas where the story could be improved--starting the process called a Developmental Edit (being a publishing newbie, I had no idea what that was).  He sent me a long email touching on five or six areas...and I almost fell out of my Comfy Recliner.  I couldn't believe what I was reading!  It was as if he and his team had reached inside my head, found the little steel lock box with the sign on it that says, "ALL THE WEAK PARTS YOU HOPE AREN'T NOTICED", and broke into it.  Absolutely amazing.  I agreed with each and every point he made, because, quite simply, I'd thought about them myself at one point or another.

So what is a Developmental Edit?  In terms of my novel, basically this:
- Plot - This particular part didn't make a whole lot of sense.  Let's change it to something a bit more believable.
- Characters - This guy got way too much "screen time", and this other character didn't get enough, and she deserves it because WE LOVE HER!  This other character was overly sexualized, diminishing her impact & making her less believable.  Let's change it.

Notice how I say "Let's", and not "You must".  I wasn't sure what to expect--other than knowing the manuscript needed some work as it had never met the eyes of a professional editor before--but I have to admit I'm extremely pleased by how Jason Kirk and his 47North team are approaching this.  Totally collaborative.  I love it.  The changes they suggested--which as I said didn't surprise me at all--will make this novel even better.

So, not only do I have an EDITOR now, I also have my very first PUBLISHING DEADLINE.  Roughly a month from now, I have to have the developmental edits completed.

No sweat.

The journey to March 10th, 2015, begins NOW, and I couldn't be happier!

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

THE MENGELE EFFECT - 2014 ABNA FINALIST!

This morning, Amazon officially announced the five Finalists in this year's Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest...The Mengele Effect was on the list!


To say I'm humbled would be an understatement.  I'm excited, shocked, happy, relieved...it's definitely a mixed bag of emotions I find difficult to describe.  The worst part is, I've known since 2 July and haven't been able to say anything!  You may not think ~6 days is very long, but it's been an ETERNITY (especially over a long holiday weekend).  Today, though, the announcement is out and I can finally TALK!  For those of you who asked if I'd heard anything, I promise I wasn't ignoring you!

This is how it went:

On 2 July, I came home from work, plopped down in my comfy recliner, fired up my laptop & checked my email...nada, zip, zippo.  According to the contest rules, I knew Amazon would contact the finalists "on or about July 2nd".  So, with no email or phone call during the day, I figured The Mengele Effect's run in this year's contest was over.  Like I've said before, I was extremely honored to have my silly story make it into the top 5 entries in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror category, and if it didn't make the Finals cut, I would still be happy.  Then, I remembered the email I received form Amazon prior to the Semi-Finals announcement, informing me my silly story was a potential semi-finalist due to the judging scores it received.  I dug through my inbox, found it, and noticed it'd come in at about 5:50 PM (Amazon is HQ'ed in Seattle, two hours behind Central time).  I looked up at the clock...and it was ~5:10 PM.  "Well," I thought, "I guess I still have forty minutes or so until--"

Ding.  Email notification.

And there it was, an email from Ms. Sarah Funk, Senior Product Manager for Amazon Publishing.  I read the first line, and almost fell out of said comfy recliner:  "We're excited to let you know that The Mengele Effect is our Semifinalist judges' pick for the ABNA Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror title for 2014!"

This was the face I made:


So, what does this mean?  The Mengele Effect is now #1 out of 2,000 Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror entries, and stands with the other Finalists as one of the top 5 entries out of 10,000 for this year's contest.  Along with the Finalist selection is a $15K royalty advance and a publishing contract with Amazon Publishing.  Amazon's Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror imprint, 47North, will publish The Mengele Effect in early 2015.  The handy-dandy graphics below describes the ABNA contest & the stages each of the finalists progressed through:



It's been quite a surreal day since the announcement.  Seeing my name in the Wall Street Journal was waaaaaay weird!  My wife Vanessa said the same thing...my name was in a major newspaper, and I didn't even do anything illegal!  HAH!

From now until 11:59:59 Pacific time on 18 Jul, Amazon customers will vote to decide the Grand Prize Winner ($50K advance vice $15K).  To see all the finalists and vote for your favorite, click this LINK; there's a voting block right below the excerpts.  I encourage everyone to read ALL the excerpts and vote for the one that tickles your fancy.  Only caveat is, if you don't vote for The Mengele Effect, I'll kill you off in a horrible manner in my next novel.  Nah...only REAL caveat is, you have to have an Amazon account in order to vote!

So what are you waiting for!  Click on over and vote for your favorite!