Events

Turning Three: On Maturing as a Small Publisher

I just looked at the calendar and realized that we are turning three years old in one week. I was amazed. The time has simply flown by. When we started up over three years ago, our business model was so different than what it is now. Then, when we turned two, I was so busy, I could barely acknowledge it. But this past year has been another of change and of many great things.

Now that we’re on the cusp of officially being three years old, I’m feeling more mature, more settled, more confident. It’s a really good feeling. I think there’s a couple reasons for it:

1. Working With Professionals: The past three years have seen a lot of changes and what I love about our state of affairs right now is that I work with some of the most professional folks I’ve met. They take their jobs as writers seriously and are interested in making a go of it in their writing. Our conversations are intelligent and insightful and while not all of them can make writing a full-time job, they treat it with the same respect as they do their regular careers.
2. Books I’m Proud To Release: The beauty of maturing in this industry is that I can pick and choose the types of books I want to work on. Most of the work in this little house is done by yours truly, so I like being able to choose the books and people I want to work with. I’ve scaled down the number of books I work on and pick the ones that mean the most to me. Books that are fun, that entertain, that enlighten, that make me feel. It’s as though I run a vanity press – although the books that come out aren’t for the ego of the writer, but for my own and the people I work with.
3. Knowledge I’m Happy to Share: I am getting more and more emails and requests from people asking my thoughts and opinions on the industry and what it’s like to be a small press. I’m still amazed that they think I’m an ‘expert’, but I do pride myself in having amassed some industry knowledge and I’m happy to pass that on to those who might be starting out on their own. I have a few pet peeves, mainly on the direct copying of some of my ideas, but hey, they say that imitation is the highest form of flattery.
4. Working Efficiently: When I first started out, the simplest of tasks took forever. Now, thanks to some of the amazing professionals I’ve met, we’ve got a workflow that works well. I’ve invested in tools, people and know-how so that I can make good and good-looking books that rival those of the larger houses.

So what’s next? Hmm, I’m not sure yet. I do know that I’m still willing to try anything. I want only the greatest of successes for the authors I work with. They’ve written great books that should be read. They’re hard working and kind people who deserve good things in their lives. My challenge is to figure out how to get more people to read their books. How do I do that? Well, there’s a few tools in the kit, but I need more. I think we need a publicist. Who knows – maybe by next year I’ll be blogging that we got one?

What I do know is that Central Avenue Publishing is here to stay. We make great books by great people. And of that, I’m very proud.

Read an Ebook Week: Last Day – Free Books!

It’s the final day of Read an Ebook Week, so head over to our site to grab three more free books!

The Hambledown Dream
Dean Mayes

Australian Denny Banister had it all; a successful career, a passion for the guitar, and Sonya – the love of his life. Tragically, Denny is struck down with inoperable cancer. Andy DeVries has almost nothing; alienated from his family, moving through a dangerous Chicago underworld dealing in drugs, battling addiction while keeping a wavering hold on the only thing that matters to him: a place at a prestigious conservatory for classical guitar in Chicago. As Andy recovers from a near fatal overdose, he is plagued by dreams – memories of a love he has never felt, and a life he’s never lived. Driven by the need for redemption and by the love for a woman he’s never met, he begins a quest to find her, knowing her only by the memories of a stranger and the dreams of a place called Hambledown…

We’ve Seen The Enemy
Paul Dayton

An alien ship crashes on Earth; its contents make it clear that the dead ant-like aliens inside were on an offensive mission. As humanity is presented with the prospect of their doomed world, construction begins on hundreds of World Federation ships and extrasolar defense weapons to be used in the inevitable war.

We’ve Seen The Enemy is set 700 years after the Great War and is a desperate race by a suicide team that may finally lead to the end of this interstellar war. Meanwhile, pockets of left-over human tribes on Earth have their own struggles, as they face power-hungry dictators and warped religious leaders. Behind all this are multiple alien forces, each with their own agenda. As truths turn into lies and friends become enemies, can humanity unite together to fight their common enemy?

Finding Author Success
Discovering and Uncovering the Marketing Power Within Your Manuscript

Deborah Riley-Magnus

Change in the publishing industry is everywhere and publishers are leaving marketing and promotion up to the author. Many authors are aware they need to promote and market their book, but have no clue how to go about it. There are hundreds of resources on how to create characters and develop plot, format book proposals and pitch; but very few on how an author implements success after the book is finished. The questions can be overwhelming and locating the answers is tricky. Deborah Riley-Magnus, an author success coach with years of successful marketing and promotion experience, takes tried and true marketing, publicity and promotional strategies and tailors them for the unique needs of today’s author. Even the odds of your success with this unique resource for all authors.

Read an Ebook Week – Day 6 – Free Books!

Today, we’re proud to present another three books for free download over at our site. Head on over and grab your copies!

Lily
The Quest For Reason (Book One)
LM DeWalt

Lily is a tragic and lonely vampire, unwittingly brought into her existence by Ian, a selfish but beautiful maker who has captured her heart for decades, even though he left her with no compass on how to navigate her strange new world. When she meets a coven of vampires that takes her in and treats her like family, all she thought she knew is brought into question. Things are further complicated when she finally finds love – Christian, a human man. Just when she’s finally found happiness, Ian reappears, threatening to destroy everything Lily holds dear. When he once again removes all her choices, Lily is thrown into a world where Ian’s ongoing sins are unstoppable and her family and newfound love seem lost forever.

Crooked Moon
Lisette Brodey

As children, Frankie Cavalese and Callie Mason were best friends; but as life interfered, each went on to live in drastically different worlds. Twenty-three years later, their lives come back together when privileged Callie returns and finds Frankie still living in her childhood home, unmarried and alone, caring for her angry dying mother. As the two women reconnect, Frankie tries to forgive Callie for abandoning the friendship, while Callie wrestles with the guilt of having disappeared. To complicate the fragile reunion, Callie’s marriage is suddenly at risk, further muddled by the affections of Frankie’s playboy brother. Tensions and passions explode in the sweltering heat, and amid pain and tragedy, each woman not only ends up with a life-altering secret regarding the other, but the burning question of what to do with it.

Joanie Adventure: Picking Out Puppies
Colleen Dougherty

Each year Joanie Carmichael wished for a puppy when she blew out the candles on her birthday cake. This year her wish came true with not just one puppy, but two!

This first book in the Joanie Adventure series takes us along with Joanie as she adopts her puppies. Joanie quickly finds out that puppies can get themselves into all sorts of messes and having them means more than just getting sloppy kisses and handing out doggie treats! Things get even more exciting for Joanie after she learns that she gets to travel the world with her family, a tutor (whatever that means!) and her brand spankin’ new puppies!