Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Foray Into E-books and Indie Publishing

Posted by: Rebecca York

Times change, and I could see the writing on the wall–ur, the computer screen--a year ago.  E-books are outselling paperbacks.  And I wanted to get into that market.  I decided on two strategies.  One was to find a good digital-first publisher.  Because I’ve been a Harlequin author since the early 90's, I picked Carina and submitted a novella, DARK MAGIC, a medieval romantic suspense set in a fantasy world.  I’m currently writing the sequel.  Yikes, I’d better tell Carina the title, since they didn’t like the one I submitted.  Maybe SHATTERED MAGIC?

My other approach was to work on a new romantic suspense series which I could publish myself.  I started writing it last February, and I’ve finally gotten the books up.  I’m launching with three stories, DARK MOON (a novel), CHAINED (a novella), and AMBUSHED (a short story).

Decorah is a detective/security/spy agency run by a tough old Navy Seal named Frank Decorah.  Many of the agents he hires have paranormal powers or take on paranormal cases.  I’ve aimed for a combination of a powerful love story and heart-pounding suspense.  Agents star in their own stories, then come back for secondary roles so readers can follow their lives.  And Frank Decorah is a constant throughout the series.

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DARKMOON, by Rebecca York (Light Street Press, December 2011). 

Undercover on a slave ship of dark eroticism.


DARK MOON is a new book in Rebecca York’s Moon series and also the first novel in the Decorah Security series. Agents Emma Richards and werewolf Cole Marshall take on a dangerous undercover assignment, to rescue a young woman from sexual slavery on a cruise ship converted into a dark and dangerous pleasure palace. When they masquerade as lovers, the sexual attraction between Emma and Cole reaches flash point. But what will happen when Emma discovers her lover is a shape-shifter?
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CHAINED, by Rebecca York (Light Street Press, December 2011).

A Novella

When death is stalking, only a phantom can save her--and love her.

Fleeing to her father's abandoned Arizona ranch to hide from political assassins, Isabella Flores is attacked by a ghost haunting the property. He's Decorah Security agent Matthew Houseman, killed in the line of duty. Still, passion blooms between Isabella and Matthew, and as their relationship turns more physical, Matthew becomes more real to himself and to her. After the ranch is attacked and Matthew helps save Isabella's life, she learns a startling secret. There may be hope of bringing her ghost lover back--if she dares to risk everything.

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AMBUSHED, by Rebecca York (Light Street Press, December 2011).

A Short Story

She's a target. He's her shield.

Sworn to protect federal witness Elizabeth Bannerman, Decorah Security Agent Jordan Stone fights the emotions building between them. When they're ambushed by terrorists, Jordan realizes he actually does have something left to lose--Elizabeth.

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How did I come up with the name Decorah Security and the gold coin emblem?


This spring and summer, I joined the gawkers glued to a webcam trained on an eagle’s nest in Decorah, Iowa.  Mom and Dad took turns sitting on their three eggs.  Three baby eagles hatched and quickly grew to be juvenile eagles.  It was a thrill watching the babies thrive and grow and also thrilling to watch the devotion of their parents as they cared for their young. The eagles were so inspiring that I thought Decorah would make a great name for my security agency.  And the gold eagle coin honors the eagles I watched all summer.


I’d love to hear from readers.  I’ll be giving away one of my Harlequin Intrigues, SOLID AS STEELE, to one of the people who leaves a comment on the blog.  If you have any questions about my Decorah Security series, please ask me. 


And visit my Web site at www.rebeccayork.com .  If all goes as planned, I will have a brand-new one by the time this blog is published. 


4 comments:

  1. I don't know how I missed the new series. I just put Dark Moon on my wishlist at Amazon. I need to recover a bit from Cmas before ordering more books:) I love all the self publishing and authors releasing older stories-- I came late to romance-- I've only been reading it for a few years now-- so I have a lot of catching up to do.

    I really like Carina Press- I don't think I've read anything published by them that I didn't love, which is saying a lot. Good choice:)

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  2. I'm glad you're looking forward to Dark Moon. I also came late to romance. I didn't know there was a type of book called "romance" until I was in my 30's. I'm also glad you like the Carina books.
    Rebecca

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  3. You're brave! But you're also way more experienced in the industry than I am. I want to have a few out there before I try the indie route. I want/need to learn quite a bit before I'm "there." Are you putting out any of your backlist on your own? I'm seeing a ton of experienced writers who are now getting rights back to books they wrote a few years ago, and they are going indie with them.

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  4. I may have written almost 140 books, but I have hardly any back list that I can put out. Harlequin has maybe 65 of my books, and they don't give them up. The Berkley books are too new to be released to me. So the only way i could really get into the indie game was to write new works.

    I may be experienced, but I hired an editor to edit Chained and Dark Moon. And I worked closely with my critique group to get Ambushed in shape.

    Rebecca

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