I’ve let my blog go neglected for so long, that every time I think about blogging, I then think…but it’s been so long since I’ve posted, I don’t really want to post THAT. But I come to the realization that if I don’t just go ahead and post something, I may never post again, because it will be that much longer in between posts, that much longer that I let my blog just sit here, doing nothing. And that’s kind of depressing, because even the spammers have given up on my blog.

So I’m starting small, first with a reminder that hey! Carina Press launched! And actually, our week two books are up and for sale. I hope you’ll check out the thing that’s been keeping me away from my blog all these months. And, you know, maybe buy a few books so I have a job going forward. Otherwise I might have a LOT of time for blogging

The other thing I can share is that we scheduled a family vacation to Disney World. We’ve planned it to occur the week before RWA, to take advantage of the RWA hotel rates. Plane ticket prices dropped yesterday and that was our final determination (we had been thinking of driving). I’m excited to do this, despite the fact that we’re going to be in Orlando in JULY because Brianna still remembers our trip to Disney just before her third birthday and she’s been asking to go back ever since. We’re not going to tell her we’re going quite yet, we’re going to wait (until at least the week before). I’m not sure when exactly we’ll tell her. Possibly on the plane ride there? No need in creating an agony of suspense for a 5 y/o any sooner than we have to. Of course, it does make a wonderful threat for good behavior, doesn’t it? As in “you’d better listen or you’re not going to Disney World”?

Last, I’m kind of excited because I only have two more work trips planned for this summer–one to Birmingham, Alabama (if you’re near there, you can come hear me speak on June 26th!) and one to RWA. Other than that, I have all of my weekends free to enjoy the summer and the beach. That kind of rocks, and I plan to enjoy it since I don’t expect to have many summers like this.

Oh, and I got a new lens for my camera. Now I just need to learn how to use it (both the lens and the camera)

I was asked to speak for a few minutes about digital publishing for the Passionate Ink chapter’s RWA party last week. Since digital publishing is such a broad topic, I chose to take the rah-rah approach. I think the speech loses a little in translation, reading it instead of seeing it presented, but several people on Twitter requested that I post it so here you go:

“Zor Q’an Tal, High King of Tryston, Emperor of Trek Mi Q’an galaxy, Guardian of the Sacred Sands, and the most feared man in six hundred galaxies and seven dimensions, popped a cheesy doodle into his mouth.”

And in 2000, with those highly evocative words from Jaid Black, author of the Empress’ New Clothes, Ellora’s Cave was open to the public and thus began the age of erotic romance. Prior to 2000, there were other digital publishers in the market, but Ellora’s Cave, who holds the trademark for romantica, was arguably the publisher to put erotic romance on the digital map. After Ellora’s Cave came other digital publishers such as Loose Id and Liquid Silver. In 2004, Samhain Publishing exploded on the scene (I can say it like that because I work there ) with offerings like Maya Banks 2005 debut, Colters’ Woman:

“His big hands traveled down her back and settled on her ass, cupping and squeezing, pushing her against his groin. His cock, hard, big, bulging in his jeans, thrust into the cradle of her pelvis. Can you feel how much I want you?” he whispered.”

In the almost decade since erotic romance has made its mark on the publishing map, countless other digital publishers have opened their doors from Cobblestone, to Total E-bound, to Wild Rose Press, to the most recent addition, Quartet Press. Print publisher Red Sage joined the digital-first/digital-only ranks. In that time we’ve also seen traditional print publishers join the erotic romance trend…and now release their books in digital formats as well. Beth Kery’s Sweet Restraint from Berkley Heat:

“He saw her eyes go wide but he didn’t give her a chance to respond to his totally irrational proclamation before he covered her mouth with his own.
He drank from her furiously. Pain vibrated through his flesh. Not the discomfort of a wound or an injury, but the raw, searing pain that came from exposing a desire that had long been denied.
At that moment he needed Laura Vasquez just like he needed to breathe.”

And yet, while there is now an outlet for erotic romance in the traditional publishing realm, authors and readers continue to seek out digital publishers to publish not just erotic romance, but all genres of romance, as well as fiction.

When Passionate Ink asked me to speak to all of you about digital publishing, I didn’t know how I could possibly do justice to the topic in five to ten minutes. Where do I begin to explain why I think readers and authors continue to seek out digital publishers? How would it be possible to convey how amazing I think digital publishing is. How excited I am to work in a part of the publishing industry that gives me the freedom to publish books that I love, to push the envelope and allow authors the ability to get books that bend genres (and body parts) in new and unique ways.

Then I realized that I probably don’t have to do that. Many of you already come from a digital publishing background. Those who don’t, who are here tonight, are here because of your love of erotic romance, a genre everyone can acknowledge got its push in digital publishing. So many of you already share my excitement and love of this corner of the industry.

Still, with all that’s been discussed leading up to this year’s conference, we have to acknowledge that there are those who don’t feel the same optimism, excitement and passion for digital publishing, and in some cases, erotic romance, as we do. It would be easy to be discouraged, angry and frustrated about this, and since I’m only human–don’t tell anyone, I heard earlier that there’s some talk I’ve never been seen in the sunlight and I don’t want to shatter anyone’s illusions– but since I am only human, I’ll admit there are times I feel all of those.

But then I remember I work in an industry that allowed talented authors like Lora Leigh, Lauren Dane, Angela Knight, Jaci Burton, Maya Banks, Beth Kery, Mary Janice Davidson, Megan Hart, Linnea Sinclair, Lilith Saintcrow and so many others to get their start. An industry that’s drawn authors like Deidre Knight, Shayla Black, Ilona Andrews and Lucy Monroe. And an industry that’s showcasing talents like authors Josh Lanyon, Laura Baumbach, and K.A Mitchell who write male/male fiction they otherwise might not have found a home for.

Digital publishing is a place where authors can start their careers, continue their careers, write short, write long, write erotic, write male/male, write female/female, write about three brothers loving and living with one woman…write about werewolves, demons, vampires, suspense, erotica, BDSM, and publish a book like Deidre Knight’s Butterfly Tattoo, a simple yet amazingly complex story of a man and a woman falling in love and facing obstacles…such as finding a publisher because the hero was formerly in a homosexual relationship. Digital publishing offers all of that and so much more.

I know that, you know that and I believe that as time passes and more people get to know digital publishing, they too will recognize that. I’m not going to stop believing in our industry because people question, disdain or disbelieve. In the words of Galaxy Quest, I choose to “Never give up. Never surrender.” because I have faith in digital publishing.

Chassie planned on having a whole lotta beer. She definitely needed alcohol to get the conversation started and probably an entire case to follow through with her plan. She took two bottles of Bud Light from the door and passed one to him. Snick, hiss, pop echoed, as the lids were untwisted.
Edgard’s backside rested against one counter; hers on the one across from him. She gulped her beer, cautioning herself to be tactful and calm, but what burst forth from her mouth was, “Are you in love with my husband?”

This is the industry that brought readers erotic romance and powerful books like Lorelei James’ Rough, Raw and Ready.
And it’s not going away.

**apologies that this is showing up in your RSS feed again. I deleted the original post, thinking it might have somehow been causing the blog’s lagging problems. Now that I know it was a plugin, I’m reposting the post for those who hadn’t yet seen it the first time.

Sorry for the delay in posting the rest of the videos. I was having problems with uploading to Vimeo. Turns out it was AdAware blocking the upload. In case you ever have that problem.

Video one is a quick video of readers/authors talking digital devices. Video two talking digital books, and video three is just a quick glimpse of some of the activities at the Lori Foster event. (and someday I’ll figure out why all videos of me start with my eyes closed. Gah)

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This morning I gave a two hour presentation on epublishing to standing room only. Of course, it sounds impressive, but that was maybe 30 people. At least 20 more were unable to fit into the small room, much to our mutual dismay. I had quite a few people look into the room to try and come in, and many say they walked by but it was standing room only, even in the doorway. But it’s encouraging to see so many people interested in learning about the business of epublishing–and the business model.

I took a bunch more videos, both of the conference and of individual readers/authors asking them about digital publishing. I’ll be posting those on Monday.

A couple of quotes I thought were interesting:
“Why would I spend $25 on one hardback when I could get three books instead?”

“I’m much more likely to buy books from an author I’ve met in person.”

“You’re shorter than I realized.” (I’m not THAT short).

It was a fun day, though I’m fairly sure I talked for thirteen hours straight. Talking for two hours on epublishing is always entertaining but hard on the throat. Good thing I love the topic.

There were a bunch of raffles during the conference. I was fortunate to win two of them, including an absolutely stunning crocheted afghan in shades of red/dark red made with “green” yarn (yarn made from recycled materials. It’s so soft and cuddly, I adore it. And I also wonan Ed Hardy purse filled with fun goodies (like chocolate body paints, kama sutra set, perfume and a t-shirt) from Red Sage author Liane Gentry Skye. I love, love, love Ed Hardy and have looked at the purses many times but given how many purses I own, know my husband would move me out of the house if I spent the money on. So I’m thrilled to have won it. Thank you, Liane!

Tomorrow winds down the conference, and I don’t leave for home until tomorrow night (getting home at almost midnight). Next up: RWA Nationals!

Well, kind of live. This weekend I’m at the Lori Foster Get Together in Cincinnati, which brings together just over 300 readers, authors and various industry professionals. Since I’m so stellar at blogging from conferences (ha ha) I thought I’d try something different with some short clips from various attendees showing their thoughts on digital.

I’ll be asking each person just one question each, and it might be anything from “what do you use to read your digital books” to “why don’t you read digital?” and hopefully covering some questions in between. If you have any specific questions you’d like me to ask about digital, shout them out in the comments and I’ll add them into the mix (I’m always happy for something different).

I’ll post a mix of the interviews at various times, Vimeo and my internet connection permitting (trying to upload the videos has almost defeated me). Since this is the first time I’ve used the Flip for this purpose, if you have any feedback, please share it!

(please ignore the silly still shot of me that holds the video. Ack!)

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Over at Romancing the Blog today, I share my answer to the question of what the most difficult part of my job is. I’ll bet you won’t guess my answer…and you might be a little surprised at just what I share.

Go check it out!

I’m leaving town again. Yes, I did just get back from three weeks of traveling to North Dakota, Virginia and Florida. But I’m still leaving again. Thursday we’re off for a fun trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where Josh and I are meeting up with some of his longtime friends for a long weekend at a beach house there. We’re dropping Brianna off to spend some time with my in-laws while Josh and I have an “adults only” weekend. It should be fun. From there, I’m flying to NYC where I’m going to be giving a short presentation at Digital Book 2009 on the topic of digital publishing and the role of DRM (anyone want to wager a guess what my main message will be?)

I’ll be flying home on Wednesday, so my time away will be less than a week, but when you add in all my other recent traveling, it does seem like a lot, doesn’t it? That’s how conference season usually feels, though. Like you’re always heading to or catching up from traveling.

So next week I’ll be editing and packing. This past week I dedicated to clearing out my inbox, because it was getting out of control. I’ve also been reading submissions and will continue to do that through the weekend.

And unrelated to anything, yesteday afternoon I took the day off to have a date afternoon with Josh (it’s significantly cheaper for us to keep Brianna in daycare for an afternoon than it is to hire a babysitter to come in at night!). We went to lunch and did some shopping, but the main reason for our date was to go see Wolverine. Yes, I did enjoy my glimpses of Hugh Jackman unclothed, but I also enjoyed learning more about the story behind Wolverine. I’m told true fans of the comics aren’t that happy with the movie, because it’s not true to the comic story, but I liked it. It was exactly what I’d expected.

(That would be yesterday) I went to Epcot and had a great time. It’s interesting to do things on your own, because you have time to notice different things, things you wouldn’t otherwise notice because you’re too wrapped up in your companions or your schedules. But because I was flying solo, I was much more observant. And I also talked to a lot more people. Random strangers, from women and men to children, shop workers, cast and crew members, and others. It did help that it rained off and on all day, plus it was Monday, so it wasn’t overly crowded or busy. I think people had more time to talk.

I had a great time, it was nice to just go and wander. I spent most of my day in the World Showcase. And I Twittered some of my journey. Actually, Twittering it made me feel like I wasn’t there totally by myself, because I had “someone” to share what I saw/did with. It made my day even more enjoyable and entertaining.

Anyway, I’m not going to recap my day, but instead am going to post my Twitter account so you can read along and check out the pictures if you’re curious.

No big plans this morning/early afternoon. My conference duties start tomorrow late afternoon and then dinner plans!

Click through to read Epcot adventures and see pics

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I’ve left the lovely WRW retreat (fabulous, fun, welcoming chapter) and am now in the BWI airport getting ready to fly off to Orlando for a week at RT. I’m looking forward to seeing all my authors and industry friends there and getting some good conversation done.

One thing about these conferences and retreats is that they always inspire me with ideas for great blog posts. Which I almost never end up writing because I forget by the time I have time and energy to write them. I should start jotting notes or something.

Also, just have to say that I did not totally suck at Romance Jeopardy, a yearly event at the retreat. Whew!

First of all, yes, I did just make my blog post title Twitter friendly. Ha! Also, I’m declaring the official hashtag, #RT09 so we can track our topic on Twitter, whether you’re attending or not!

Second, I’m currently at the lovely WRW writer’s retreat in Leesburg, Virginia. But tomorrow I’ll be off to Romantic Times 2009 in Orlando, Florida.

I know for some of you, your goal is to see me as much as you possibly can (I’m joking!) so I’m going to share my panel schedule with you so you can be sure to attend. I’m sure I’ll be brilliant and inspiring. Uh…anyway.

Wednesday:
10:30-11:30 Samhain Publisher spotlight
11:45-12:45 Polishing Your Pitch workshop with Ron Hogan

Thursday:
2:30-3:30 Myths/Benefits of Epublishing with Raelene Gorlinsky(EC) and Treva Harte (Loose ID)

Friday:
3:30-4:30 Editor Panel

If you’re going to be at RT, please find me and say hi. I’ll be the one with partially hot pink hair!

Now, I was left off the official RT schedule for my Wednesday panel, so if you have a moment, please help me spread the word to anyone you know going to RT. Blogs, facebook, twitter, yahoo groups, it’s all appreciated!

Details:

Join Angela James and Ron Hogan at RT this Wednesday from 11:45-12:45 to “Polish Your Pitch”. Angela got left off the official RT schedule so please help spread the word!

“Samhain Executive Editor Angela James and publishing industry commentator Ron Hogan of Beatrice.com lead an interactive workshop on creating a great story pitch. Come prepared to tell us what your novel’s about; we’ll take your description apart then help you rebuild it better, stronger, faster. Don’t be afraid…we’ll be gentle.”

Ron Hogan is well known as a savvy,fair book reviewer and knowledgeable commentator on all aspects of the publishing industry, both digital and print.

http://beatrice.com/wordpress/about-ron-hogan/

Angela James is the Executive Editor of Samhain Publishing. Her mission is to drag readers (and authors) to the digital dark side, one reader at a time.