Almost everyone who reads my debut novel, Paraworld Zero, ends up really liking it. I get calls and emails all the time from fans who are waiting patiently for the second book. However, getting a hold of Paraworld Zero from a physical bookstore is another story. Yep, my publisher is still having distribution issues. Fortunately, Baker & Taylor (the main distributor for libraries) has it in stock and so does Amazon and BN.com. 40 days ago, Ingram (the main distributor for bookstores) placed a nice order for Paraworld Zero, but my publisher still hasn’t fulfilled the order. Last week, Ingram placed an additional order--looks like they really want it. I'm biting my tongue for the time being and hoping that this shipping issue will get fixed. Perhaps my publisher is just waiting to get paid from previous shipments before they send more books (I've heard that Ingram is slow to pay sometimes). Regardless, I'm starting to seek foreign publishers and American publishers who would like to do the hardback or mass market paperback.

On a happier note, I'd like to share one of the latest book reviews for Paraworld Zero with you. This review came from Bob Spear of HeartlandReviews.com. He’s one of the judges in this year's Publishers Marketing Asociation's Benjamin Franklin Awards. "The author has mastered the formula for injecting a constantly increasing level of tension in his story... This series should become a bestselling set of stories. We rated it an almost perfect five hearts."

Matthew's Tip for Life: Endure! Bad things will happen. Be patient and endure!

I just got back from the Public Library Association conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 9,000 people were there--mostly librarians, of course. I’d have to say that the audience was so nice and attentive. We’re talking librarians here... people who love books! I had just been to a book festival where many of the younger patrons didn’t even care to read, so this was a nice change. I gave out a couple hundred books and CDs. Several librarians told me that they had already bought my book and had loved it. That was nice to hear.

I learned so much from the other exhibitors, and now I'm excited for the LA Times Book Fair and BookExpo America trade show. Oh, and the head YA editor for TOR (the largest science fiction / fantasy publisher out there) invited me to send her a copy of Paraworld Zero for her to review. I'm crossing my fingers, but there's probably a slim chance anything will come of it.

Promotional Tip: Trade shows and festivals can be a great way to promote a book. However, you’ll have more success if you stand in front of your table, instead of behind it. That way you can engage your audience. Also, put a bowl of individually wrapped candies on your table for people to take.

A fellow author, Maria V. Snyder, hit the New York Times Bestseller list last month for her new fantasy novel, Fire Study. I met Maria way back in 2004, before her first book, Poison Study, was published, so it’s neat to see this happen to one of my friends. She was kind enough to give me a blurb for the back of my book, Paraworld Zero: "Flame throwing pigeons and demonic dumpsters. Funny and imaginative." I was also the guest blogger on her MySpace page. I wish Maria the best of luck with her books.

Author Tip: Blurbs don't come out of thin air. You or your publisher will have to ask people for them. That means you need to build relationships way before your book gets published.

Amazon.com just said that POD (Print on Demand) books MUST be printed through their own printer, Booksurge, or else the “Buy” button on their site will not be enabled. That means millions of books out there will be affected by this, including the ones produced by the market leader, Lightning Source. Print on Demand is used by many publishers who want to keep older and less popular titles in stock. Many vanity publishers like LuLu, Publish America and Author House use POD as well. This move is causing quite a stir in the publishing business. Amazon says they are doing this to increase the speed of shipments to customers, although it will increase their profits and seriously maim their competitors in the process.

Matthew's Opinion: I see this move as a good move for Amazon but a bad move for most of the current POD authors and publishers. It's similar to Super Wal-Marts and Targets... Yeah, we love them (they are so convenient) but they hurt the "little guy."

That’s about it for this newsletter. I’ll report on the Los Angeles Festival of Books next time. Over 130,000 people will be there. Whew! I’m sure I’ll sign a lot of books! Oh, and I am so sorry for the delay in the audiobook. You can't believe the issues I've had with getting that thing finished. It's turning out very well, though. I've gotten lots of compliments from the Sample CDs. My wife and I are doing all of the voices--we've both had acting experience. See ya next time!