Here's something a little different than the titles we usually feature here – Keith Melton's Blood Vice, the first installment of his Nightfall Syndicate series.
And here's why this title is intriguing to me – it's a small press release. So, the big question, for me, is: How does the quality of small press paranormal fantasy releases stack up against releases from the giant publishers? And what advantages – for the reader – are there in seeking out and reading small press stuff?
To help us with this question, Keith Melton himself has agreed to stop by throughout the month of February to chat about the publishing industry, cover art philosophy, and above all else his novel, which is published by Georgia-based Samhain Publishing.
The teaser on this novel is terrific:
"Business has never been better for hit man Karl Vance. Boston is awash in mafia blood, and Vance has a certain fondness for blood. He’s a master vampire—one of the most powerful of his kind. Having sworn to never again feed on the blood of innocents, Karl preys instead on Boston’s criminal underworld. Which makes him a valuable asset to those who deal in death.
Maria Ricardi intends to use that asset to its full extent in order to gain power within her patriarchal crime family. Vance thinks he’s been hired to keep track of the family’s princess, but she’s got a plan to get her hands dirty and earn the respect she deserves. And she’s not above using their instant attraction to get what she wants.
That driving ambition draws the attention of a rival clan’s newest and most dangerous “consultant.” Alejandro Delgado, Vance’s centuries-old nemesis. Delgado zeroes in on the one chink in Vance’s armor—his fondness for the headstrong Maria.
When she becomes enslaved by Delgado’s unnatural kiss, only one thing is certain. Vance has to decide which he wants more. To settle the score—or rescue her soul."
Also, this tangential note, I've never read a book with a warning on the cover! Here's what's on the back of Blood Vice:
"Warning: Intense, graphic mafia-related violence, profanity, gangster slang, assassinations, fang punctures, explicit vampire sex, betrayal, greed, murder, gangland warfare, pervasive supernatural mayhem, large-scale explosions, and extremely expensive Italian suits."
So feel free to post any and all questions for Keith right here! It should be a interesting conversation....
Paul
Keith:
My first question is regarding cover art. we've been discussing it pretty in-depth around here lately and we've come to the conclusion that some big publishers just don't understand the audience – the whole tattooed female in leather pants wielding weapon thing. The philosophy of these big art departments and all of their "studies" is that these types of covers "work," that is, succeed in making potential readers pick them up. But it's becoming cliche now and boring to some extent.
Can you talk a little bit about the reasoning behind putting protag Karl Vance on the cover? What type of audience are you going for? And what is your philosophy regarding all of the formulaic paranormal fantasy covers out there right now?
Paul
paulgoatallen wrote:
And here's why this title is intriguing to me – it's a small press release. So, the big question, for me, is: How does the quality of small press paranormal fantasy releases stack up against releases from the giant publishers? And what advantages – for the reader – are there in seeking out and reading small press stuff?
Paul
My first caveat would be that I won’t present a completely unbiased viewpoint in my answer, since I’m published by a small press, and I most definitely have a horse in the race.
Having said that, small presses have historically earned a large amount of respect with regard to literary fiction and academic writing. I would say in the case of genre fiction, much depends upon the small press itself—is it reputable, does it have a proven track record of producing quality fiction?—and upon the specific writer—is the quality of her/his prose at or above that of the larger market, were they signed/published before their storytelling skills had matured to an acceptable level?
However, the average reader won’t be interested in spending the time researching a small press, and they certainly shouldn’t be expected to. Gatekeepers of quality will always be needed. Or, if not exactly gatekeepers (since the term brings to mind a certain censorship or restriction of ideas and information), then trusted voices, reviewers, etc, who can bring small press offerings to the attention of readers who may, or may not, be willing to take a chance on a less well-known author. Word of mouth can play a huge role, which is why sites like Goodreads or forums such as this one can play an important role in validating the quality of a work that might be worth scoping out.
The advantage for the reader in seeking out and reading small press offerings lies in discovering potentially diverse writing, perhaps hidden gems that orbit just outside mainstream publishing. A writer may seek out a small press when she/he receives replies from agents or publishers to a submission basically saying: “We love the writing. We love the story. Unfortunately, no one’s buying books about magic in a steam-technology world. We don’t think there’s a market.” The market may develop in time, but it may not exist when the writer is trying to place his/her manuscript. Publishing houses like to be at the crest of a new trend, but there are bottom lines to meet, and not everyone involved in the buying/acquisition chain is purely concerned about "art," or even willing to gamble on a manuscript that may not be a neat fit for an established market. After all, this is business. That is not a judgmental statement, just a statement of reality.
A small press may be better positioned to take a risk on a piece of writing they believe in, especially one in which the publisher believes might fill a niche in the market not big enough for the major publishers to pursue. Also, in these difficult times, small presses may become the refuge of midlist authors who are dropped by larger publishing houses for whatever reason, perhaps not meeting a return on investment acceptable to the publisher. A small publisher may be able to satisfy the demand from the author’s fans with small print runs and may be willing to invest in an author’s career for a longer amount of time. That last is pure speculation, however, and may be detached from reality.
As an aside, I’m a reader as well as a writer. We’ve all purchased books we thought would be good and have been disappointed in them for various reasons. Regardless of where an author may stand on the Google Book Settlement, one thing I do like about it from a reader’s point of view is the ability for a potential reader to read or skim a large portion of the fiction book and judge the quality of the prose/characterization/story. If I can’t hook the reader in the first third of the book, the failure is mine as a writer, and the reader can walk away with no loss except a few minutes of his/her time. I think this, in addition to sample chapters and significant excerpts, can also help a reader determine the quality (or lack of quality) of any fiction writer regardless of whether the writer was published by a major publishing house or a small press.
The editors at Samhain work from the Chicago Manual of Style. Manuscripts go through several rounds of developmental editing as well as copyediting. The people at the publishing house are dedicated to turning out quality product they believe readers will enjoy. However, at the end of the day, the writer and the writer alone is responsible for winning and keeping readers.
Wow, all that just to say: “Yes, there is quality writing at small presses worth seeking out.”
Where’s my editor when I need her? ^_^
