Frequently Asked Questions
What is 357 Press?
357 press was the name which I originally published under, it is now defunct and any copyrights surrounding it reverted back to me or the original owner. I operate under that name sort of as a D.B.A. in my contracts, because it's still there, but publicly 357 doesn't exist.
What happened to 'Owens Valley'?
The short hand version: It was unacceptable and it's being rewritten. There were a number of problems from the writing to the execution and so on. It has since been completely rewritten, aimed at a more character oriented story with a much better narration. It is currently in editing with no general time frame for release. That old version of Owens Valley is now out of print, and I don't receive any compensation for it. There is a ebook version of it we've been trying to get off the shelves, the story there is that agreements were signed before the Kindle ever came out, the ebook version was released without our knowing or consent. That isn't Amazons fault, but a publishing house that won't be named here, which Owens Valley was printed through.
What is the 'You Buy I'll Sign' policy?
You paid for the book, so I won't charge you a cent to sign it. There may come a day that would change, or under certain circumstances, but largely it's one of the few ways I can show appreciation for giving my work a chance.
What printer do you use?
There's a gray area here, the contract does not describe a partnership of any kind and the way I read it initially it's sort of a N.D.A., so I don't know if I can go around promoting them or throwing their name around. To give you an idea though, most of the Print on Demand services use this printing company, and because I set up as a publisher intent on selling X amount of books per year, or at least producing such, I am considered a publisher under them.
Would you read something I wrote?
It depends, if there's a blog or website you think I'm interested in, even if you're the one who wrote it, sure. If you published a book and wanted to send me a buy link where I can check out a description and the back cover, so on and so forth, I'll definitely give it a look, but I can't read everything.
Are you a member of any Writer Associations?
No. And I'm not out to put them down or anything like that, but they have everything to do with writing, except for the actual writing. I've done this long enough to not need an online cheerleader and support that way. There are some great resources out there and I'd encourage anyone who wanted to join them to give it their all. I've definitely checked into their articles and have gathered some great information, but I haven't had the desire to join up and don't personally see a benefit to doing so.
Can I contact you if I find a problem with a book of yours that arrived to me damaged?
You can certainly let me know, but there's not much I can do about other than inquire with my printer if something went wrong. Often these cases are due to mishandling during shipping. If you find something wrong with the physical copy, give me a heads up so I can see if it's an ongoing issue. The people who print my books are extremely receptive and have treated me very well, so I think any issues could be resolved quickly.
Can you give me some words of advise on starting a publishing company or getting self-published?
I have no problem doing so, but I'd say first take a look at HOW TO SELL FICTION, which is currently in an E-book format (You can get a free E-reader for your computer from Amazon if you don't have a Kindle). Hopefully that would clear up any questions and give you more information than you bargained for, but if what you're looking for isn't there, feel free to ask in the blog.
I noticed one of the stories in The Things I Left Behind is called Prelude to Windigo, is this a published story?
No, not yet. It's in a similar situation as Owens Valley, it needs to be heavily edited and won't likely see a release until late 2014.
How come there are books listed on your website that are not published?
If a title appears on this website, it's because it's either published or nearing publication, usually meaning it's in editing or expected to be published in the next 6 months. Any cover art or anything written on this site about unpublished materials is always subject to change, and on occasion a book may disappear from the listing altogether.
What are the copyright and licencing agreements?
You know how this goes. Everything here and that I published, with the exception of the website layout, design and a few other small odds and ins are copyrighted, if it looks like I created it, it's probably has a Library of Congress number attached to it, even though I don't typically publish those, so essentially nothing you find here or that I have written is for free use. I have not licensed any of my work thus far, so if it appears somewhere that doesn't look directly attached to me, please let me know.
Can I buy books directly from you instead of a retailer?
Not currently, even if that might have been possible in the past. There are plans to reinstate an online store at some point in the future, but there are other priorities, the most important being the actual writing process. In other words, check back in the future. We'd like to do signed limited runs among other things.
Do you have any kind of reviewer program?
Yes, but I'll only send out a few copies of any given book, and I can't give away Kindle versions. I don't pay for reviews, but if you want to write a review, let me know through the contact page before you purchase the book, I may be able to send you a copy for free. Just let me know who you are, any links to blogs or sites or publications where your reviews are typically located and I'll get back in touch with you as soon as possible. I'll have to get back in touch with you for your mailing information.
What is 357 Press?
357 press was the name which I originally published under, it is now defunct and any copyrights surrounding it reverted back to me or the original owner. I operate under that name sort of as a D.B.A. in my contracts, because it's still there, but publicly 357 doesn't exist.
What happened to 'Owens Valley'?
The short hand version: It was unacceptable and it's being rewritten. There were a number of problems from the writing to the execution and so on. It has since been completely rewritten, aimed at a more character oriented story with a much better narration. It is currently in editing with no general time frame for release. That old version of Owens Valley is now out of print, and I don't receive any compensation for it. There is a ebook version of it we've been trying to get off the shelves, the story there is that agreements were signed before the Kindle ever came out, the ebook version was released without our knowing or consent. That isn't Amazons fault, but a publishing house that won't be named here, which Owens Valley was printed through.
What is the 'You Buy I'll Sign' policy?
You paid for the book, so I won't charge you a cent to sign it. There may come a day that would change, or under certain circumstances, but largely it's one of the few ways I can show appreciation for giving my work a chance.
What printer do you use?
There's a gray area here, the contract does not describe a partnership of any kind and the way I read it initially it's sort of a N.D.A., so I don't know if I can go around promoting them or throwing their name around. To give you an idea though, most of the Print on Demand services use this printing company, and because I set up as a publisher intent on selling X amount of books per year, or at least producing such, I am considered a publisher under them.
Would you read something I wrote?
It depends, if there's a blog or website you think I'm interested in, even if you're the one who wrote it, sure. If you published a book and wanted to send me a buy link where I can check out a description and the back cover, so on and so forth, I'll definitely give it a look, but I can't read everything.
Are you a member of any Writer Associations?
No. And I'm not out to put them down or anything like that, but they have everything to do with writing, except for the actual writing. I've done this long enough to not need an online cheerleader and support that way. There are some great resources out there and I'd encourage anyone who wanted to join them to give it their all. I've definitely checked into their articles and have gathered some great information, but I haven't had the desire to join up and don't personally see a benefit to doing so.
Can I contact you if I find a problem with a book of yours that arrived to me damaged?
You can certainly let me know, but there's not much I can do about other than inquire with my printer if something went wrong. Often these cases are due to mishandling during shipping. If you find something wrong with the physical copy, give me a heads up so I can see if it's an ongoing issue. The people who print my books are extremely receptive and have treated me very well, so I think any issues could be resolved quickly.
Can you give me some words of advise on starting a publishing company or getting self-published?
I have no problem doing so, but I'd say first take a look at HOW TO SELL FICTION, which is currently in an E-book format (You can get a free E-reader for your computer from Amazon if you don't have a Kindle). Hopefully that would clear up any questions and give you more information than you bargained for, but if what you're looking for isn't there, feel free to ask in the blog.
I noticed one of the stories in The Things I Left Behind is called Prelude to Windigo, is this a published story?
No, not yet. It's in a similar situation as Owens Valley, it needs to be heavily edited and won't likely see a release until late 2014.
How come there are books listed on your website that are not published?
If a title appears on this website, it's because it's either published or nearing publication, usually meaning it's in editing or expected to be published in the next 6 months. Any cover art or anything written on this site about unpublished materials is always subject to change, and on occasion a book may disappear from the listing altogether.
What are the copyright and licencing agreements?
You know how this goes. Everything here and that I published, with the exception of the website layout, design and a few other small odds and ins are copyrighted, if it looks like I created it, it's probably has a Library of Congress number attached to it, even though I don't typically publish those, so essentially nothing you find here or that I have written is for free use. I have not licensed any of my work thus far, so if it appears somewhere that doesn't look directly attached to me, please let me know.
Can I buy books directly from you instead of a retailer?
Not currently, even if that might have been possible in the past. There are plans to reinstate an online store at some point in the future, but there are other priorities, the most important being the actual writing process. In other words, check back in the future. We'd like to do signed limited runs among other things.
Do you have any kind of reviewer program?
Yes, but I'll only send out a few copies of any given book, and I can't give away Kindle versions. I don't pay for reviews, but if you want to write a review, let me know through the contact page before you purchase the book, I may be able to send you a copy for free. Just let me know who you are, any links to blogs or sites or publications where your reviews are typically located and I'll get back in touch with you as soon as possible. I'll have to get back in touch with you for your mailing information.