More Good News on the E-Book Front

Longtime Western fans and Amazon Kindle best-selling Western writers Mike Stotter and Ben Bridges have finally realized a long-held dream to bring back into 'e-print' some of the most popular and best-loved Western and action-adventure series fiction of the last forty years.
 
Series fiction, the most popular genre was always the Western, but it also encompassed war stories, tales of pillaging Vikings, life in the Roman arena and action-adventure set in the far-flung future, was at its most popular throughout the 1970s and 80s and is still fondly remembered and avidly collected by die-hard fans. Some books are now so hard to come by that it's not unusual for them to change hands for astronomical amounts.
 
"We got to know a number of the authors when we were teenagers," remembers Mike. "Although they mostly wrote Westerns, they often joked that they had never been further west than Piccadilly, in London's West End."
 
"It seemed such an obvious idea, to bring these books back in a new format for a predominantly new audience," says Ben Bridges, a.k.a. David Whitehead. "For years I had been scouring second-hand bookshops to rebuild my original collection, and everywhere I went I got the same response. 'If I could get my hands on Westerns, I could sell them. But you just can't get them anymore.'"

"It seemed like a ridiculous situation," adds Mike. "I have constantly heard that the Western genre is dead. Yet, through sales, I know we have a large Western readership out there and no-one is catering for them. So I suggested to Dave that maybe he and I ought to do something about it--and now here we are."

 Thus Piccadilly Publishing was born. One of its aims is to bring back titles for new and old readers alike. Great care is taken over the production of each title, and each one has a specially-commissioned cover from Westworld Designs that recreates the feel of the originals, at the same time giving them a fresh and more modern look.

The first Piccadilly Publishing eBook--Trackdown, by Neil Hunter--is now available for download from Amazon's platforms in the UK, US, Spain, France, Germany and Italy, and more titles are set to follow over the next several months. There are plans to expand their availability on other electronic platforms.
 
"We're adding authors and series to our catalogue almost every day," reports Whitehead. "Over the next year or so I think we'll surprise and delight our fellow fans with what we have to offer."

For further enquires email the editors at piccadillyp@yahoo.com

Another Reasoner Western Now Available: Robbers Roost

The e-book edition of my novel ROBBERS ROOST is now available from Amazon, with a Nook version from Barnes & Noble in the works. This novel was written in 1987 and published as the fourth book in the Powell's Army series, under the pseudonym Terence Duncan. The series features a trio of investigators working for the U.S. Army in the Old West, and the books can be read in any order. My friend (and later agent) Barbara Puechner originated the series, and this edition of ROBBERS ROOST includes a new introduction about how I came to write three of the books. E-book editions of the other two novels are coming soon, as well. These books were a lot of fun to write, and I hope some of you will enjoy reading them.

The Paths of Righteousness: The Complete Collection of Science Fiction Stories by James Reasoner

Yes, it's another new e-book for the Kindle and Nook, and it wouldn't exist without the help of a number of friends of mine who helped me get my hands on copies of the stories: Bill Crider, Gary Lovisi, and from Fictionmags, Gordon Van Gelder, Ned Brooks, Terry Zobeck, Art Lortie, Ellen Datlow, and George R. Morgan. The subtitle is accurate but also a little tongue-in-cheek, since the complete collection of my SF stories has only five stories in it. I've read and loved science fiction for almost as far back as I can remember, but I've written very little of it. All five stories are fairly long, though, all of them novelettes or novellas, and add up to just about 50,000 words. When I was reading back over them, getting them ready for this e-book edition, I was struck by how much I was influenced by the adventure SF published in the digest magazines during the Fifties and Sixties, even though these particular stories were written in the Eighties and Nineties. I've always been a bit of a throwback.


Come to think of it, actually I've also collaborated on a science fiction novel, which is going to be reprinted next year in a new edition. But more details about that later on. For now, this book represents all my less-than-novel-length science fiction.  I say "for now", because working on it has got me hankering to write some more SF. We'll see.

Twice as Deadly -- Another New Book From Livia

Livia has just released TWICE AS DEADLY, an e-book collection of two novellas she wrote back in the Eighties about a Dallas private investigator named Laura Bailey. The first one was published in the anthology/collaborative novel THE BLACK MOON, and the second has never been published until now because the publisher went out of business before the second volume in the series came out. These are excellent hardboiled mysteries with a very likable protagonist, and I'm glad to see them available.

The Wind River Series Now Available as E-books

Back in the Nineties, Livia and I wrote a six-book Western series for Harper Paperbacks called WIND RIVER. We wanted to put both names on the books, but the publisher nixed that idea and insisted on a single by-line. Now the whole series is available for both the Kindle and the Nook with both names on it as intended. If at all possible, these books should be read in order, because we knew what was going to happen in the sixth book before we ever wrote a line of the first book, and there are developments all the way through leading up to that. I think these are some of our best Westerns, and I hope those of you who give them a try enjoy them. (I'll put links to the Kindle editions of all six books on the E-Book Catalog page.)


And here's the trailer that Livia made for the series:

E-Book Links

If you're looking for any of my e-books, you can now click on the link above that says "E-Book Catalog" for a page of links directly to them.  I've also included Livia's books and the Rancho Diablo books by Mel and Bill.  I'll add new books there as they become available, and there should be some more going live soon.


I've never been very comfortable with Blatant Self-Promotion, but by golly, I'm going to do it anyway.  In the publishing business now, you just about have to.

Free E-Book from the International Thriller Writers

Here’s an ITW holiday gift – a free ebook!

Download a free copy of ITW’s latest thriller WATCHLIST – a killer collaboration between 22 authors including Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, Joe Finder, Lisa Scottoline, David Hewson, David Liss and more.

USA Today said: “Entertaining and intriguing....the action is full-boil.”

PW gave it a starred review and said: “A suspenseful, action-packed international thriller filled with plenty of twists and turns.”


To get your free ebook sign up at Peroozal.com – where recommendations from authors guide readers to great books.

Guest Post by Brian Drake: Reflections on the Revolution So Far

I suppose it was a year or two ago that e-books began picking up steam. I recall some skepticism regarding the Amazon Kindle and other e-reading devices when they were first released, but must admit my recall is a little hazy because I had no intention of ever having anything to do with e-books or e-readers. Paper and ink for me, baby, and no mistake. But then the economy went south, and a certain writer started pontificating about the terrible state of publishing, authors being dropped by book companies (including him), and the success of his work on the Kindle. He wasn’t entirely wrong, as my dear friend and fellow author Rebecca Forster was one of those writers dropped by her publisher, and her struggles in this racket have been very sobering as I began my assault on the citadel. Other articles appeared in business publications mentioning how hard a time Big Publishing is having these days--about the same amount of trouble as everybody else, really, but the tone of these articles was grim indeed. If there is any good publishing news in recent months, I haven’t found it.


I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember, though the dream probably began back in the 7th grade when I discovered Ian Fleming and after that began gobbling up any other spy and adventure novel I could find, regardless if I had full comprehension of the plot and nuances of the stories or not. (Rereading some of those books as an adult proves I had no clue what I was reading at the time and I enjoy them much more now.) That dream includes printed books. Paper and ink. A real editor and real publisher. Not ones and zeroes. No “independent author” status--and is that title full of PC garbage or what?


But the reality is, the publishing world is a jungle and it’s not getting any friendlier (it probably never was very friendly, but there was a day when books outnumbered televisions; and back in the ‘80s, the latest bestsellers were always hot conversation topics). With the economy as it is who knows how long before the industry recovers, if at all, considering the poor sales reports that are not hard to find, and highlighted by those who now have a vested interest in electronic books.


E-books apparently are the future, though I’m sure print books will survive in a niche form. If motor cars ever go fully electric, we’ll still have gasoline engines for driving enthusiasts who need internal combustion for their sports cars. The car replaced the horse and buggy, but horses still occupy an important place in our culture.


So it’s with that realization in mind that I began putting my work out for the Amazon Kindle and other electronic reading devices; it’s why I’ve taken on the “independent author” title (gak!); and why I’m making the herculean effort of publicizing my work and build an audience. If I can bring an audience to a publisher instead of having to find one once a book is published. . .


My latest is called Justified Sins and it’s an action thriller with hard-boiled elements; fans of The Executioner and “Dirty Harry” and many of Charles Bronson’s films will find something to like; if you’re of the hard-boiled and noir school you will appreciate those aspects of the story. At 35,000 words it’s short, but I think it would have found a home with Gold Medal back in the day. Or maybe Ace. Or Pocket. One can only imagine. I guess that’s the nice thing about doing an e-book: I don’t need to write a 100,000 word door stop. But coming up next is a spy thriller called Heroes Wear Black, a 90,000 word story, which will not only be released for the Kindle but also shopped to real agents and real publishers as I continue my assault on the citadel.


Because e-books are not my dream. Until paper and ink books go away forever, they will always be my preferred format.