Striving For Balance

Wow, I just realized that the last post may have sounded a tad bit negative – just a tad bit. Let’s add a little balance. This year has been very exciting and we have accomplished a lot. I’ll recap – two books (one adult fiction, one YA fiction) were written, edited, designed, formatted, proofed and published. The groundwork has been established and we will never have to be called ‘novice’ publishers again. The flipbook for both titles will be fully edited and laid out (if not ready for sale) by the end of the month. Editing has begun on our next titles ‘Rain’ and ‘Bigelow Hollow Revisited’ – both are YA titles. Our books have broad online distribution channels, including the two biggies – Amazon and B&N. We have had some talks and some books signings resulting in enough sales for us to give back to some favorite causes.

So far, in our holiday book promotion http://marchbooks.ning.com/profiles/blogs/holiday-book-promotion, we have been able to donate copies of ‘The Little Insanity’ to our soldiers overseas and copies of ‘Nightsweats in Bigelow Hollow’ to the WE ARE THE CHILDREN Christmas party in Hartford, CT. We have also had book signings for animal advocacy groups that have allowed us to contribute a portion of our sales back to the groups.

Whew, and we’re not done yet. With at least two more titles slotted for publication in 2010, we still have much on our plate. Marketing will be ongoing but as one author said (I wish I could remember the source) ‘marketing is front-loaded. It is like pushing a snow ball up a mountainside. It is tough going in the beginning. But, eventually, if you are persistent, you will reach the peak and the snowball will have a momentum all its own.’ Understand, this was not verbatim. I paraphrase, because, heck I can’t even remember who said it. Perhaps when our marketing takes on its own momentum I can go back and reread all of the great resources I have used and credit the authors properly.

I hope everyone’s holidays were safe and happy,

elizabeth

www.marchbooks.com

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Little-Insanity/Janus-Kane/e/9781935367291/?itm=1&USRI=the+little+insanity
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=nightsweats+in+bigelow+hollow&box=nightsweat&pos=0 

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Truth Is Not Always Stranger Than Fiction – Janus Kane

You may have heard the story of the Man trapped in a coma for 23 years. Apparently it was not a coma, it just appeared to be one. As science progresses, it occasionally catches up with fiction. Case in point;

Excerpt from ‘The Little Insanity’

KYLE

— ‘Where the hell was he?’ He tried to look around, but he couldn’t move his head. ‘Oh Boy, he’d really done it this time.’

Kyle remembered feeling like this once before – when he’d first hurt his back. He’d been lifting a slab of granite, when, ‘Bam!’ It hit like a Mack truck. And that’s exactly how he’d felt; like he’d been hit by a truck. The pain was blinding, debilitating, heart stopping. Then, there was nothing.

It was as if every nerve in his body went to sleep. If someone had told him he had suddenly gone incorporeal, Kyle would have believed them. He had absolutely no sensation anywhere in his body, which seemed like a fair trade at the time. Anything that would stop the raging pain would be worth it.

This was different though. Kyle could still feel things now. Maybe he felt too much.

When he first became conscious, he tried to open his eyes but couldn’t. It was as if they were taped shut. All Kyle could see was a peach colored light filtering through his eyelids.

There was a lot of commotion. He heard it and felt it. People were bustling around him in a flurry of activity. Kyle tried to raise an arm to let someone know he was awake. Nothing happened. He heard someone yell, “BP 80/60, respiration weak, pulse thready.”

Suddenly, he felt his jaw being pried open. They were shoving something down his throat. Kyle panicked: trying to turn his head, move his hand to push them away, close his mouth. He couldn’t do anything but feel. His body had stopped listening to him…

www.marchbooks.com

The Little Insanity

All is Good in the Land of Words

If you have been following, you have probably noticed the absence of any new gripes about the publishing industry. I suppose that is because we are basking in the afterglow of the publication of our first two novels.

The Little Insanity
and Nightsweats in Bigelow Hollow

Sure, sales could be brisker and there is certainly no abatement of entries on the publication ‘to do’ list. However, the first hurdle has been met and conquered. The books are beautiful (alright, I’m biased). They are a pleasure to look at and feel good in your hand. So far, we have only discovered one small blip, in The Little Insanity, that was missed by editing. I won’t tell you where, you can find it yourself – I challenge you, lol.

We have gotten some good reviews on Amazon and M.J. had her first book signing a week and a half ago. It went very well. Although she did not sell out, she made a respectable showing for a first time author and we were able to donate a healthy percentage back to the charity that hosted the event. It was a wonderful win-win for everyone involved.

Work still continues on the website. Our shopping cart is still having issues. There are still numerous review copies to be sent out and marketing to bookstores and libraries continues unabated. Promotional materials must be designed and updated. We continue to look for new opportunities for signings and we are plunging, with both feet, into the editing of our next two titles – both by M.J. Claire, ‘The Invisibles and Bigelow Hollow Revisited (if you didn’t guess, this is the second in the Bigelow Hollow series). And, of course, we occasionally find time to blog.

So, yes, we are not bored, but we are infinitely happy. Love what you do and you will never work a day in your life. I wish the same for all of you. Until next time.

www.marchbooks.com

March Books – Confronting Social Issues, One Novel At A Time

March Books is a green publisher. We believe that a good book is a treasure. We think, however, that there are some aspects of traditional publication that are outdated and environmentally unsound. Large print runs and huge stacks of returned books are a luxury that our planet can no longer afford. We strive to bring good literature to eager readers, but not at the expense of our environment. 

 

Print on demand may require a slightly higher cost, but it will benefit all of us in the long run. Good stories, printed affordably on a demand basis – that is what March Books is all about. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please visit  www.Marchbooks.com for our list of current and upcoming titles.

Chasing the Dragon – More Thoughts on Addiction by Janus Kane

The story, ‘The Little Insanity’ revolves around six 30-something people who are struggling with relationship and addiction issues. It is not that uncommon a dynamic. I think that one of the reasons why people relate to this story is because it is familiar. Although it is exaggerated, it mirrors many peoples’ lives. 

Admittedly, this story takes some of these issues to their extremes, extremes that most of us don’t experience in our own lives. This is another reason why people find the book appealing. It is comforting for us to be able to look at these characters and think, ‘see, my life is not that screwed up’.

Some readers may look at these characters and think, ‘I’m nothing like these people. I’m not an alcoholic, I don’t participate in risky sex and I don’t abuse drugs’. For those people, I might say, you are missing the point.

I believe that ‘The Little Insanity’ speaks more to our similarities than to our differences. Addictions are common to more of us than we would like to admit. Addictions are as varied as the people who cultivate them. They are not all as lethal as alcohol or drugs, but they can all rule our lives in ways we might not like to admit.

As different as addictions can be, they all share one common theme: all addictions spring from ‘The Pleasure Principle’. The most common human goal is the pursuit of pleasure, or conversely, the avoidance or pain. For some of us, that equates to suppressing bad memories, for others it means avoiding boredom and for the most extreme cases it means just feeling something. We are all bombarded with these feelings every day, the most common and debilitating of them is the recognition of our own mortality.

The only question that remains is how we will deal with those feelings. Will we go to the liquor cabinet or the refrigerator? Will we flop onto a mattress in a downtown crack house or onto a featherbed with your best friend’s spouse? Will we run our family into debt with credit card purchases or drive them crazy with our need to insinuate ourselves into their lives? Perhaps we will just numb our minds with hours in front of the television or computer.

Heroin addicts have used the term ‘chasing the dragon’ to mean their pursuit of the perfect high. I believe that we are all chasing the dragon. We are all in search of that one thing that will give our lives meaning, that will make us feel, that will define our place in this imperfect world.  Some of us find a healthy anchor to hold onto while others of us continue to chase the dragon. The unlucky ones among us catch the dragon, only to find out that he is mean and he has razor sharp teeth.

Until we realize that our lives are not perfect and they are not supposed to be perfect, we will constantly be in search of something to make us feel better about ourselves and our lives. Only when we stop pointing fingers at ‘those addicts’ will we be able to recognize our commonalities and become closer in our shared frailties.

March Books Changes its Release Date for The Little Insanity

March Books has changed the release date for their upcoming adult title ‘The Little Insanity’. Originally, this title was scheduled for publication in April 2009. That deadline has been moved to August 2009 to accommodate the review and printing schedule.

The release of March Books first publication, ‘The Little Insanity’, has been changed to August 2009.

 

The Little Insanity

Author – Janus Kane

Website – http://www.januskane.com

genre – Commercial Fiction

Publisher – March Books

Publisher’s website – http://www.marchbooks.com

Publisher’s email – elizabeth@marchbooks.com

ISBN 9781935367291

Publication Date – 8/1/09

Format – 6×9 Paperback

Pages – 296

Price – $16.95

 

What percentage of us are damaged, handicapped, or fractured in some way that we struggle desperately to hide from the casual, and not so casual, observer? How many of us can lay claim to total mental stability, renouncing any character flaws or defects that can adversely affect our relationships and interactions with others?

The French call sex ‘Le Petit Mort’, the Little Death, because it temporarily suspends the heart and the head. The ‘Little Insanity’ focuses on the equally crazy effects of relationships on our behavior, in the new millennium. Watch the insanity that ensues when six, seemingly sane, individuals mix and shake their own, not so healthy, personality cocktails together. Follow Jenn, Jason, Kyle, Kyra, Brad and Beth through the sexual and personal relationships that are ‘The Little Insanity’. Don’t mistake this for another knock-off of ‘Friends’. This relay of relationships between these 30-somethings shines a light on the different faces we wear and the machinations we all go through to hide what is really beneath the surface. The setting for this little dysfunctional drama is a small town in Connecticut, although some of the story takes place in ‘The Big Apple’.

 

With the pace of a literary soap opera, Janus Kane’s first novel should appeal to readers who enjoy watching these fictional, but realistic, characters’ lives unfold and unravel before them. These six characters are on a path of discovery that will lead them to painful truths about life, love, themselves and others. Like a car crash, we must watch as these events drive some of our characters, inexorably, toward a crescendo that is the ultimate insanity.

 

Serious review requests can be sent to elizabeth@marchbooks.com