Straight from Arrow | April 6, 2017

Welcome to the latest installment of Straight From Arrow featuring news about romance fiction and publishing.

All Romance eBooks Faces Class Action Suit
The Secret to Promoting Yourself
Are Mainstream Publishers Missing an Opportunity To Expand?
Texas, Here I Come!
Historical Romance Author Book Signing
The Hottest Romance Graphic Stories Up Now on MyRomanceStory.com

All Romance eBooks Faces Class Action Suit

On January 12, 2017, a class action lawsuit on behalf of writers and publishers was filed in the Circuit Court in Pinellas County, Florida, against All Romance eBooks and its owner, Lori James, by the law firm of Byrd Campbell P.A. (http://byrdcampbell.com/for-love-or-money/)

Those following the drama will recall that All Romance eBooks’ closing on December 31, 2016 left writers, publishers, advertisers and customers scrambling for answers. Arrow Publications has sold its titles through ARe and its non-romance site, OmniLit, for years. Now three months after it's closing, Arrow has yet to receive any communications from ARe or James, regarding the closing or when to expect royalty payments for sales from the website. Some writers report receiving an offer from James proposing 10 cents on the dollar for sales generated through December 27, 2016. This same notification reportedly stated that writers and publishers who did not agree to the settlement would receive nothing.

In late January, several websites posted an email sent by James promising royalty payments by the end of February to all writers and publishers who agreed to accept the company's settlement offer.

While the story continues to play out, be assured that Arrow’s books are still available at a number of online outlets including Amazon and MyRomanceStory.com. Arrow Publications will make good all royalties earned by its authors up till time of ARe’s closing even if we have not received payment from ARe.

The secret to promoting yourself is that it's NOT all about you

Marcia Friedman By Marsha Friedman
CEO & Founder, EMSI Public Relations

Sometimes the harshest truths are the most important ones.

In public relations, one of the most important truisms revolves around the primary question members of the media ask themselves as they evaluate potential stories: Who really cares?

For anyone seeking to promote themselves or their business, that "who really cares?" question is absolutely paramount because it reveals one of the most critical and common pitfalls in the PR business. That is, the idea that promoting yourself should be all about you.

So your key question becomes: How do I get the media to care about me? The answer is you must demonstrate to them that your expertise and your message will add value to the lives of their audiences.

Read the full article at MyRomanceStory.com.

Are Mainstream Publishers Missing an Opportunity To Expand?

Content is king. So the saying goes. Yet the biggest content providers—mainstream publishers—seem unable to step up to the plate and take charge of the distribution of their products. Instead they have allowed technology-driven companies such as Amazon and Apple (iBooks) to put a stranglehold on online distribution of books.

Yes, these publishers have their own websites and e-Bookstores, but what is really called for is one e-Bookstore representing all the publishers.

Now is the time to strike.

The latest closing of All Romance e-books (ARe) is indicative of a market trend where readers are tired of paying for sub par books. Which makes Amazon, particularly, vulnerable to a strong competitor.

Why?

Readers are voracious. Once they have found an author they like they soon read all that author’s books. Then they turn to either another recommended author in the same genre or start searching for authors in that genre.

If they go to the usual online sites—such as Amazon—and search under the genre, they have no guarantee the author is even readable. The covers are great. The blurbs are enticing but halfway through the book they are fed up. Result? They feel cheated by the site that sold them a bill of goods. I have several books that I simply cannot finish reading. They are so bad.

Mainstream publishers cooperating to form a site would at least provide readers with the guarantee that any book they buy from that site will be of a certain standard even if the story disappoints.

And perhaps with fewer fingers in the pie, the price of the books wouldn’t have to be so high.

Patricia White
Publisher Arrow Publications

Ms White has more than 40 years experience in publishing—as a columnist, author, editor, and publisher.

Texas, Here I Come!

By Helen A. Grant

I am now halfway through writing my third Regency romance novel and, although I have the draft outline of the full storyline in my head, it is, at times, difficult to get this onto the paper. Where do I go for inspiration? The internet? Yes, sometimes, but as a member of the English National Trust and English Heritage I can visit stately homes across the country and browse through their rooms and the art works. This helps me to visualise scenes I am trying to create in my novels. I also volunteer one day a week at a National Trust property, a wonderful medieval house, built in the 1300’s and surrounded by a moat and beautiful gardens. Although my novels are based in the regency period these older properties would have been well established and been modernised and updated during in that period.

Helen A. Grant's books So, living in the UK gives me the opportunity to gather information and inspiration from historic buildings and artefacts. I also get inspiration from reading books (particularly ones by Jane Austen) and I have read many good Regency romance novels written by US authors and wonder where do they turn for their inspiration? I like to think that they visit the UK and enjoy some of our history.

It was George Bernard Shaw who was attributed with writing, “England and America are two countries separated by the same language.” I have found this to be the case when working with a US publishing company. Not so much for the commonly used words where it is mostly just slight differences in the spelling which differ, it is the sayings and idioms that may not travel well. For example, in my novel In Pursuit of Miriam I used the phrase “I will be as right as nine-pence.” This phrase pre-dates the regency period and is still used today to mean, “I’ll be fine/good.” Obviously I was questioned on this because whoever has heard of a nine-penny coin?

My brother-in-law is American, originally from Kansas, and so can help me with many of the differences that I encounter. This year over the Easter holiday I am planning a family visit to my sister and her husband who now live just outside Houston, Texas. While there I am planning to mix business with pleasure and take up some opportunities to promote my books, visiting two local Kroger stores to do sales and book signings and also speaking to a ladies luncheon club. I hope to get plenty of feedback from US readers of historical romance novels. So, Texas, here I come.

Historical Romance Author Book Signing

Would you like to meet Helen A. Grant, the author of the Regency romances, In Pursuit of Miriam andThe Earl of Ice, and have her sign copies of her books? The UK-based author is crossing the pond to visit with family and to participate in two book signing at Kroger stores in the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area of Texas.

Thursday April 13, from 3-7pm at Kroger store # 742 (3830 West Davis Street, Conroe, TX 77304)
Friday, April 21 from 3-7 p.m. at Kroger store # 358 (5671 Treaschwig Road, Spring, TX 77373)

If you are going to be near either store, Helen would love to see you, so please stop by and buy a copy or two of her books.

The Hottest Romance Graphic Stories Up Now on MyRomanceStory.com

Searing...Sultry...Oh, so Sexy!!! See below for a sample of The Hunted.

The Hunted

By: Jennifer Savage
Artist: Italo Ahumada

When the offer of much-needed sponsorship lures Olympic athlete Amanda Dean to the lush tropical-island home of famous billionaire recluse Barnabas Connell, she has no way of knowing Barnabas’s dark purpose. No way of knowing the terror that awaits. She’s not the only pawn in the wealthy recluse’s cruel and diabolical game. Rhys Matheson, handsome multinational security magnate, has been lured to the island, too. Neither expects to fall deeply in love…while undergoing the fight of their lives!

The Hunted is available for sale at MyRomanceStory.com. Explore our Romance Graphic Novel Collection for other titles.

Want more romance graphic novels, visit our Free Reads section for the complete version of Throb.

FREE READS

Throb

By: Nic Anders and Taylor Ashley Subrosa

Artist: Roberto Goiriz