Swim Season Pubslush Campaign to Launch October 31

In my latest novel Swim Season, the new girl on the team challenges a longstanding school record attached to a $50,000 scholarship. The whole story is fiction inspired by my daughter who has been swimming competitively for 8 years. My goal was to write a story about the whole high school swimming experience, to show others who may not be as familiar with the sport how much fun it is and how hard these kids work. I started it four years ago and will soon have a completed manuscript. Now it’s time to figure out how to make the book available to readers, and that’s why I'm launching a pre-publication campaign through Pubslush beginning October 31.

Pubslush is a marketing platform much like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, but dedicated exclusively to books. As stated on its website, Pubslush was founded by mother and daughter entrepreneurs, Hellen and Amanda Barbara, who were inspired to create a more democratic publishing process after learning about the struggles of authors like J.K. Rowling, whose bestselling series was rejected by the 12 publishers to which it was initially sent. 

Here's an excellent article about this new company dedicated to improving literacy and serving as a link between authors and readers.

Pubslush offers crowdfunding and pre-orders, and a way for me to test the waters, build an audience, and provide start-up funds necessary to publish, distribute, and promote Swim Season. You can help by becoming a supporter, starting with as little as one dollar. There are lots of great incentives, including free books.

Please take a moment to check out my Pubslush page SwimSeason.pubslush.com, then join my team. Remember - the campaign goes live on Friday, October 31. Thanks for your support.

"Swim Season" Video Now Live on YouTube

What inspired me to write a novel about girls varsity swimming? Who is Aerin Keane? How do I plan to publish, market,and promote this book?

I recently released a YouTube video about my novel-in-progress "Swim Season," produced by my talented young friend Anthony Lorino.  We got together one gorgeous July day with a camera amid some beautiful scenery in Orange County, New York and I answered these questions and more.  

"Adventures in Publishing: How to Independently Publish Your Own Book" October 28, in Newburgh

Once again I will offer a two-hour workshop on independent publishing at SUNY Orange, this time on the Newburgh Campus. Please join me on Tuesday, October 28 from 7 pm - 9 pm when I share my Adventures in Publishing and show you how I published my first novel in print, digital, and audiobook. Topics I'll cover include: changes in the publishing industry over the last ten years, including electronic publishing; the trend toward independent publishing and its growing acceptance among readers; why authors might choose to go this route rather than seek traditional publishing, and the pros and cons of each; as well as the work involved in publishing and marketing your own book. This class will be of interest to anyone thinking about publishing a book, whether it's a novel, poetry, memoir, family history, cookbook, etc. To register please visit Adventures in Publishing.  Cost: $19.