New Author in Ohio saying hello to everyone!

[MrJoecat]

Hello, everyone! Just wanted to introduce myself, I'm new to e-book publishing and I'm sure I'll be asking for all kinds of opinions and advice in the coming months. I'm originally a native New Englander, born in Connecticut, but I've called Ohio home since 1999. I've actually had a fairly successful career as a freelance article writer over the past 20 years, centered on my first love, which is history and general science (military or otherwise). I've appeared in such publications as Newsweek and Astronomy Magazine, and have written on a regular basis for World War II History and Military Heritage magazines over the past decade. But always in the background I've had a lingering interest in all things paranormal. Like most people I've always been a bit skeptical about the numerous ghost photographs (along with some video and audio recordings) that turn up on the internet or popular TV programs until my wife and I took up ghost hunting ourselves. A number of unexplainable things started turning up in our own photographs and audio recordings. So in 2002 my wife Sharon and I co-founded Cleveland Supernatural Investigations which has now celebrated ten years of investigating various paranormal or allegedly haunted sites.

I wrote my first full length novel dealing with the horror/paranormal genre back in 2004-2005, and like most new authors spent the next five years going the traditional route - looking for agents, publishers, etc, with no luck. It was the old Catch 22 - with book sales declining as the internet grew, most publishers didn't want to take on someone new unless they had a proven sales record, and you can't establish such a sales record unless someone takes you on and is willing to give you a chance! Finally I decided to try e-publishing and published that first novel as an e-book only this summer ("Shadowlawn"). A second book, more a traditional ghost story (as yet untitled) is nearing completion and will probably be published later this summer.

I'm looking for tips and suggestions from more experienced e-authors on how they went about getting the word out, getting it reviewed, and reaching the public in general. And I'd like to trade ideas and opinions on other good stories and experiences new authors out there may have had, to help encourage and guide other potential writers who feel they have a story or two in them worth telling. Anyway, that's enough about me for now, and I look forward to being a regular part of this forum from now on!

[Valmore Daniels]

Welcome to the boards

[MickeyC]

Hi MrJoecat and welcome to MobileRead

[lucasfernan89]

Welcome aboard!
Lucas

[ImogenRose]

Welcome to MR!

Imogen