Today's Topic: Publishing Democratization and Its Inherent Challenges

Greetings and felicitations, Wise Words followers! (I've always wanted to try that line to start a blog posting. Coupling it with the name of this blog makes me sound rather sage!) I'm Jaz Primo, author of the Sunset Vampire Series, and I'm very happy to be here today on Wise Words. This is a wonderful blog that not only presents information on new authors and their works, but neatly presents a series of topics geared to help mentor and advise burgeoning authors.

Speaking of burgeoning authors, it seems that in the past few years a revolution has occurred in the publishing industry. With relative ease and minimal technical skills, independent authors are able to bring their novels to the marketplace without either the aid of a major publishing house or expensive turnkey self-publishing services. I like to think of this time as the era of the democratization of publishing. There has been a veritable explosion of novels being brought directly to consumers with the aid of retailers (or rather, what I like to call "e-tailers") ranging from Amazon to Barnes & Noble to Apple to Waterstone's. The only problem is that consumers are plagued with a seemingly overwhelming sea of literary selections, of which many are of substandard composition and quality. It's almost as if bookstores have become a sort of yard sale where someone might just be getting "pot luck" with regard to their next novel selection. That's why this blog and others dedicated to reviewing novels are so very important.

All that being said, there's yet another challenge to the democratization of publishing: finding unique stories that honor their respective genre. When major publishers controlled the vast majority of novel distributions to bookstore retailers, the stream of novels for a particular genre were relatively controlled and paced. Please don't mistake me; I'm certainly not advocating a return to the limited supplies of stories from those days. I'm merely pointing out that it was much easier to narrow one's selections of stories. There were only so many vampire novels available, whereas today, there are hundreds of varieties of vampire novels. Of course, as an avid fan of vampires, I'm only too happy about this development. But many people are limited by vampires, and they want to know that the novels they select to read are of the best quality and content. Again, that's why blogs such as Wise Words are so very important to readers.

Despite this wonderful world of democratized publication, as an author, it's important to ensure that fresh ideas and stories are being offered to readers. In the case of the Sunset Vampire Series, I have striven to bring a fresh twist to the paranormal vampire subgenre. My debut novel, Sunrise at Sunset, took the tired and traditional character development structures of most previous vampire novels and turned the pretexts on their heads. Gone is the mysterious, tall, dark and handsome stranger (the vampire) who is magnetically smitten with the shy, timid, awkward female love interest (the human) and who must be protected from all possible threats and challenges, lest her fragile body and tender sensibilities be bruised. In Sunrise at Sunset, the vampire is a strong, self-confident, capable female vampire (initially Amber, later assuming the name Katrina) who isn't immediately smitten with the human male (Caleb) she encounters. In fact, Caleb is a young boy who accidently happens upon our wounded vampire heroine, ultimately interceding on her behalf. It's not until years later that the two are reunited and the potential for romantic sparks occur.

Sunrise at Sunset is unlike most any vampire novel that you may have read. The series is my homage to the strength and capability of women, as well as the potential for female heroines to capably support their male counterparts. Most readers find the change refreshing, though a small percentage of readers are outright offended that I would dare to place a female in the role of power and influence formerly reserved for men. Rather than be offended by the small percentage of scathing reviews, I wear them as a badge of honor that I have presented exciting and fresh ideas to a population of readers who seem somewhat starved for something new and different. Please understand, as an author in today's fluid publishing environment, I believe that it's a writer's responsibility to quench readers' thirsts with fresh material. One thing is certain: it will set you aside from your peers and competition, which any publicist will tell you is a good thing!

With that in mind, here's the teaser for Sunrise at Sunset:

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When is a bloodthirsty predator the best protection against a psychotic killer?

When the predator is both a vampire...and the woman you love.

“We vampires are focused and tend to shape our own realities.”

My name is Katrina Rawlings, and I am a vampire. I declare that with neither pride nor ego. I am simply nature’s most dangerous predator. On occasion, it’s a very valuable quality. It helped me protect Caleb Taylor one day when he was very young. But that single, traumatic day is behind him now; wiped from his memory, or so I hope.

Caleb has finally matured into a rather striking young man, and believe me, I like what I see. I’ll readily admit that there are issues for us to confront and overcome, though a sense of mutual commitment isn’t one of them. I’m feeling hopeful for our future together, in fact. But an adversary from my past has returned to haunt me, and she’s trying to get back at me through Caleb. That was her first...and last...mistake. I’ll protect my Caleb at all costs, and I’ll make her regret the day she was born.

So, I suppose that I’m not just a vampire. I’m about to become someone’s worst nightmare!

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My sincere thanks to Louise Wise for the opportunity to appear on Wise Words today. It's been a real treat, and I hope that you've enjoyed today's posting. I also hope that you'll consider giving my Sunset Vampire Series a try!

Peace -- Jaz

Jaz Primo is an author, history aficionado, pun-master, and all-around fan of things vampire and urban fantasy. Fuelled by an active imagination, cold Coca-Cola and chocolate, Jaz brings a new voice with a fresh approach to today's array of paranormal and urban fantasy literature. When not pouring over a keyboard or Kindle, Jaz can be found tending a veggie garden or casting a variety of colourful lures into bodies of water as he urges the bass to bite, often using his best fish puns. Jaz lives in central Oklahoma with his wife and a talkative, long-lived cat.


Sunrise at Sunset is available in both trade paperback and multiple eBook formats at most major retailers, including Amazon, Apple iBookstore, and Barnes & Noble. You can find Jaz at the following locations:

Website:   http://www.jazprimo.com/

Blog:   http://primovampires.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/o43dPj

Twitter:   @jazprimo