Views from the readers' trenches

I have been reading for too many years to count. And I am the kind of reader that always has to have at least 10 books in the house that I have not read just to keep me company. I am lucky that I have been part of the publishing industry so that I can find out about new authors and new books that are coming into the stores. My work began as a bookseller (independent and then Waldenbooks) including five years as spokesperson on the romance book industry for Waldenbooks. And one of my greatest joys was opening a box of books of new titles fresh off the press.

I now work for myself as a consultant to publishers and authors and teach at a local community college on the publishing industry. I am always interested in how the romance genre continues to change but still seems to publish stories that are about love and relationships.

Publishers introduce new authors and/or new series such as “Bombshell” or “Next”. New stories by favorite authors also bring me back to the bookstore. I am sure that I still miss out on other new books if I just knew about them. This idea brought me to ask myself, how do I find out about books? New Authors? Here is what I do to stay current:

• Sign up on author’s web-site to get news from them about their upcoming books.
  
• Sign up on publishers web-sites for their monthly newsletters.
  
• Sign up on internet bookstore or web-sites such as www.bookreporter.com for information on upcoming titles.
  
• Check out readings in the local newspapers for authors and books of interest and try to attend.
  
• Read and look through Romantic Times Book Club magazine which is found in bookstores.
  
• Check out the Romance Writers of America Web-site for their yearly award nominees and winners.
  
• Visit the local bookstores and look at what’s new in romance fiction. And there are often bookseller comments notes that are taped on the shelves, providing the reader information about a writer’s voice and storytelling abilities.
  
• Sometimes, publishers will announce on the front cover or back cover copy that this is the debut book for the author.
  
• Subscribe to the weekly email from Foreword Magazine. They review books and also give out yearly awards for books from small press publishers and self-published authors.
  
• Talk with other readers for those wonderful word of mouth recommendations.

What internet sites, bookstore web-sites, and author blogs do you use to help find new books and authors?

Mystery Blogger: Jennifer McCord