From Self-Published to Published in under Six Months!
2012 is turning out to be a
stellar year for me. First, my self-published novel Angel of Highgate received an “Editorial Recommendation” from
Kirkus Reviews.
Now I am thrilled to announce that
I just signed a five-figure, two book deal with Keith Kahla at Minotaur
for the publication of The Paranormal
Casebooks of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, an historical mystery series pitched
as a volatile cocktail of Sherlock
Holmes-meets-the-X-Files with a dash of steam punk and a whiff of London
fog.
Scheduled for publication in
Winter 2014, The Revenant of Thraxton Hall is the first in a series of Casebooks
where two of the most creative minds of Victorian England, Arthur Conan Doyle
and the Irish playwright Oscar Wilde, solve bizarre murders, unravel diabolical
plots and unearth long-buried mysteries—each with a paranormal twist.
The deal was negotiated by my super-agent,
Kimberley
Cameron of Kimberley Cameron & Associates (world). Kimberley conducted
the negotiations from her Paris office, which necessitated many 4:00 a.m.
(Paris time) phone calls to New York publishers. I signed with Kimberley as recently as February 12, 2012. We went through a few (relatively minor) edits of the book
before she began the submission process. I must note that Kimberley is my second agent, but the
first to sell a book. Her ability to land such a major deal for a first-time
author in this economy is a testament to her reputation with the major
publishers. I know I am extremely fortunate to be teamed with her.
A five-figure, two-book deal is
truly amazing for a debut author. But it gets better. The Revenant of Thraxton Hall
will be published first as a hardcover(!)
and will receive international
distribution! Wow! My head is still spinning!
(Okay, I’ll stop now. I have just used up an entire years’
allotment of exclamation points.)
My wife Shelley and I recently
jetted down to San Francisco to meet Kimberley and her husband David who graciously
chauffeured us around Napa Valley where we stopped at the chateau at Domaine
Carneros to crack a bottle of celebratory bubbly. Below are some photos from
that sublime day. I can still taste the Tattinger.
Thank you again, to my wonderful
agent, Kimberley Cameron.
Below: Agent and Writer pose on the chateau steps. (Kimberley is the pretty one.)
