You Really Can Buy the 365 Book in Paper

I made this change fairly quietly, but a lot of people are asking me about it, so I'm going to make a bit more noise. Yes, 365 Days of Gratitude: Photos from a Beautiful World is available as a big, full-color coffee table book. If I may be allowed to say so, it really turned out well. (This is more praise for the print-on-demand printing process than for myself.) If you look for it on Amazon, you won't find it. You'll only find the $3.99 Kindle. But it's available to buy. You just have to have the link.

I've placed the link on the right-hand sidebar of its book page on this site, where it will live forever. But of course I'll offer it in this blog as well. It's HERE.

As you can imagine, the book is not cheap. Because the production costs on 365 large full-color photos is huge. The book is for sale for $35 on CreateSpace, and believe me, there's not much in the way of profit there. It's basically production cost, plus CreateSpace's cut, plus pennies left over in royalties. It's a rounding-up to a nice round number from the very lowest price I could put on it. It would have been nice to sell it on Amazon. A lot more people would find it. But then I would have had to price it at $45 across the board.

Now for the good news: I honestly believe that when you receive your copy you will not feel overcharged. It really is a $35 book. It's 8 1/2 by 11, huge and heavy. Not hardcover, but still a genuine coffee table book. If I'm wrong, and you disagree, I'll happily buy it back from you.

The other good news is that there are cheaper ways to enjoy the book. The Kindle edition is only $3.99. And I'll be giving away a copy a month on this blog for the foreseeable future. I have a giveaway going right now, in fact.

I think you'll find it's a nice gift idea. I'm having a lot of fun giving them as gifts.

Feedback welcomed. 

Cover Reveals: The Backlist Gets a Big Makeover

My wonderful agency and I took a look back recently. When we first put out our own independent ebook editions of my backlist novels Funerals for Horses, Electric God, and Walter's Purple Heart, we didn't really know what to expect. We didn't know how much interest there would be for these titles. Plus, I was working on a shoestring.

The titles are doing quite well, I'm happy to say, due to a great number of wonderful new readers (thank you, wonderful new readers!) who are going through the full body of my work.

We all agreed it was time to give these ebooks a makeover. Help them stand right up there with my newer titles.

So here are the wonderful new covers. If you haven't read the backlist, maybe this is a great time to start. The ebook editions are affordable at only $2.99. And they will give you something to read while you are waiting for my two brand new novels to come out this year.

Hope you like the new look!

The 365 Photo Book is (Almost) Here!

This is actually the proof of the huge, gorgeous coffee-table-size softcover edition of 365 Days of Gratitude: Photos from a Beautiful World. This is the one I promised to give away lots of copies of. (Bad sentence, but good sentiment, right?) And I plan to keep that promise.

I wanted to show it to you so you could get some idea of the size and quality of the book in question.

My next step is to order several cartons of them. And start giving them away on this blog, and maybe also on my Facebook author page.

As always, all you have to do is comment that you want one. Do leave your email address in the comment form. I promise I won't use it for any other purpose but to notify you if you win. Don't leave your email address in the body of your comment unless you want everybody to see it.

I'm not sure when I'll have more copies, but let's start the giveaway now for three. It will end when I have the books in hand. I'll choose three commenters at random.

I'll give away a lot more. Maybe one a month. Maybe I'll get more creative. But I'm excited, now that I've seen how well the paper book turned out. So let's get started!

Update on 2014-05-23 15:17 by Catherine

Okay, it's here. I have copies. So I'm going to give it just over the Memorial Day weekend for people to add their names. And then early next week I'll do a drawing for three of these. Comment away!

Walk Me Home is a Kindle Monthly Deal

All this month my novel Walk Me Home is being offered as a Kindle Monthly Deal for May. The promotional price is $1.99. That's a fifty percent savings.

I always want to make sure my readers know about price promotions, because I honestly believe that faithful readers deserve book bargains.

This is also a great month to suggest Walk Me Home to your book group, especially if the people in your group have ereaders. It's a book that lends itself well to group discussion, and the price is good.

Hope you'll give it a try if you haven't already, and I hope you enjoy it! 

Don't Let Me Go is $0.99

I'm guessing that about 95% of the people who see this blog have already read the book in question, Don't Let Me Go. Then again, I could be wrong. Either way, I want to let my faithful readers know that the book is on a Kindle Countdown Deal right now. The Kindle ebook is $0.99 today, tomorrow, and Thursday (April 29th and 30th and May 1st) before going back up to its normal price in daily increments.

If you haven't read it, I'm happy to offer it to you at this discount, because I firmly believe that people who buy and read books deserve bargains now and then.

If you have read it, I hope you enjoyed it enough to tell your friends about this deal. Or your book club! I know book clubs like to read books that not only come recommended, but can be bought inexpensively.

In either case, if I'm going to put a book on special price promotion, I'll always make sure my faithful readers hear about it. Word-spreading is always much appreciated. 

To Celebrate International Pay It Forward Day...

Did you know International Pay It Forward Day is today this year, April 24th?

Here's how I'm celebrating. Actually, I'll celebrate a number of different ways, most involving acts of kindness. But this is cool, and I wanted to share it with you.

Simon & Schuster has put out a press release announcing that the book will soon be released in a young readers' edition, suitable for middle grade students.

I'm linking to the press release HERE and it should download when you click the link. If not, you can view it HERE. Please feel free to repost anywhere and everywhere. It's all about spreading the word.

Can you imagine a world where kids read Pay It Forward in school when they're eight, or ten? I can. But let's not imagine. Let's have that world and see what changes. Things can only get better from here.

My First Photo Book is Here!

It's here! The ebook edition of 365 Days of Gratitude: Photos from a Beautiful World. It's a big file, so don't be surprised if it doesn't show up on your computer/Kindle/tablet as instantly as most ebooks. But it's available for purchase.

I'll be honest and say that in the not-too-distant future it will be discounted for a few days of promotion. Probably to $0.99, probably mid-May. So if you buy it now for $3.99, it should be because you want to, or because you don't want to wait. It shouldn't be because I kept that to myself so you didn't have the option.

As I mentioned in my previous blog about this book, the paperback will be along soon. It won't be for sale, because you wouldn't like the price I'd have to put on it. But I'll be giving quite a few away on this blog. 

So, just to recap, ebook HERE, large 8 1/2 x 11 format paperback, watch this space for more news!

Cover Reveal: The Language of Hoofbeats

Nothing makes me much happier than a good cover reveal. Unless it's two cover reveals in less than a month. In March I shared the new cover for Take Me With You, which will be released in the U.S. on July 15th. (Sorry, I know I said June 10th, but it changed.)

Today I am absolutely thrilled to show you the brand new final cover for The Language of Hoofbeats. It will be out in December, worldwide, from Lake Union (Amazon Publishing). If you want to know more about it, check out the new The Language of Hoofbeats page on this site. Or just go straight to its Amazon page, because it's already available to preorder.

It's going to be a good year!

Taking Giveaways to a New Level (Soon)

Not too long ago I wrote a blog post called "No More Ebook Only." I had made the decision to add paperback editions of my three books that had previously been available only in Kindle. (The Long, Steep Path, Always Chloe and Other Stories, and Subway Dancer and Other Stories.) I made my initial choice because I knew these books--an essay collection and two story collections--would not sell quite as briskly as my novels. And the vast majority of my book sales are in Kindle these days. So I didn't expect to see a great deal of sales on those paperbacks. But when I could afford to, I added them anyway. Because some of my readers still love paper, and some read exclusively in paper. I didn't want them to be left out.

Then along came 365 Days of Gratitude (well, it will be coming along... soon) and a conundrum. The book consists of some text, yes, but mostly 365 high-resolution color photos. My production cost on a paperback is likely more than you would want to pay. Once I have it distributed to bookselling sites, and they take their cut, the price tag I'd have to put on it would be downright silly.

But I made a decision. I'm going to have it set up for paperback anyway. But I'm not going to sell it. I'm going to start by ordering fifty copies for my own use, with the option for more. And I'm going to offer them to readers, but as gifts and giveaways. That way I can honestly say that none of my books are available in ebook only.

So keep an eye on this blog. It will take awhile to get the paperback set up. But I promise to keep you posted when it's here, and available to be won. I'll probably give some away on my Facebook author page as well. 

More news as it becomes available.

Update on 2014-03-22 14:49 by Catherine

I got a question by email from Susan Schleuss about people being able to buy them if they are willing to pay the high price. Well, the price would be about $60 just for me to slightly more than break even.

So that should settle that.

But it gave me a great idea. Anyone who wants one of these books and isn't having any luck winning one is welcome to buy a copy... from the author. I'll sign a book and mail it to anyone who asks, and only charge what it cost me, which is about $27. That might work, right?

But don't be too quick to jump at that idea, because I'm going to give a bunch of these puppies away! Stay tuned!

Discussion Guide for When I Found You

I've been getting a great number of requests from book groups who are reading When I Found You and looking for discussion questions online. The book has enjoyed a huge swell of popularity in the past ten months or so. And I'm happy to say lots of people are reading it.

As to questions... well... there weren't any.

The book was first published in the UK by Transworld (Random House Group) and about half the time they come up with a discussion guide. For this one they didn't. I don't think of myself as being very good at writing those, so in response to the requests, I asked my wonderful editor at Amazon Publishing if a guide sounded like a good idea. He thought it was a great idea! He said he'd be happy to post one as soon as I came up with it.

Oh. Me.

Well, it seemed like time to give it a try. But, as I say, I don't have a lot of faith in my abilities with these. I've done maybe one guide before. But I drafted this out, and I would really love some book group feedback on it. If you are a member of a book group, I'd appreciate it if you'd take a quick look and tell me if it looks like something that would lead to a good discussion. If you're part of a book group who's planning to discuss When I Found You, please do take this for a test drive. Let me know if there's something you think would make it better.

Meanwhile it's definitely progress!

You can view/download the guide HERE.

All thoughts welcome.

Cover Reveal: Take Me With You

This is the one I've been so excited about, folks. It's brand new. You've never read it in any form. It's due out June 10th* from the new Lake Union imprint of Amazon Publishing. It's called Take Me With You.

And this is its cover.

It's not just me, right? This really is the best cover ever. Right? 

*PS: Wonderful UK readers, I'm sorry. It will get to you later, and with a different cover. Now for the good news: With luck, this is my last apology to you. My next novel, due out in December, will be published by Lake Union worldwide!

Cover Reveal: 365 Days of Gratitude

We've just finalized the cover of my very first photo book ever. It's 365 Days of Gratitude, an ebook compiling the "best of" the Daily Gratitude photos I post online every day.

Even if you follow my online posts, there will be many photos in this book you have not yet seen.

I don't have a final release date, but you know I will keep you posted.

Meanwhile I've just given 365 Days its own book page on this site.

Stay tuned for more news, including a cover reveal for my novel Take Me With You (due out June 10, 2014 from Lake Union Publishing) which I hope will be coming up very soon. (Hint: I've seen it. You'll like it.)

More will be revealed.

-Catherine 

No More Ebook Only!

Here's a happy announcement. When I first published My two newer short story collections, Subway Dancer and Other Stories and Always Chloe and Other Stories, I published them as ebook-only. I don't sell nearly as many paperbacks as ebooks, and it was a little faster and less expensive. But I had an incredible year, and I feel it makes sense to reinvest in my independent titles. And not everyone embraces ebooks (and even among those who do, sometimes a paper book is nice).

Now both of these collections are available in paperback.

The next bit of good news is that my collection of creative nonfiction The Long, Steep Path: Everyday Inspiration from the Author of Pay It Forward, will very soon be released in paperback as well. Watch this space for more announcements.

One last bit of fun: if you are one of the people who "like" my author page on Facebook, I'm doing a giveaway with these books. In a couple of days I'll be choosing six people at random from among those who comment that they enjoy short stories and paper books. I'll give away three of each of these. And when The Long, Steep Path is ready, I'll give away some of those, too. So if you are not following my Facebook author page, now might be a good time to start.

As always, happy reading!

Another Kindle Monthly Deal

I'm delighted to announce that my novel When I Found You is now spending another month as a Kindle Monthly Deal, this time for January 2014. The book had an amazing 2013. It was a Kindle Monthly Deal for July, when it rose to #2 in Kindle Paid and stayed there for most of the month, selling well over 125,000 copies just in that 31-day period. In fact, it just closed out the year at #58 in Kindle bestsellers for 2013.

It's on sale right now for $1.99. If you haven't read it, this might be a good time to give it a try. If you read and enjoyed it, I'm always grateful for recommendations to friends. I think we all feel better recommending books to others when they are affordably priced.

Happy New Year, and happy reading!

BIG Holiday Sale on Ebooks

Starting today, December 23rd, I'm bringing prices down on several of my ebooks in honor of the holiday. And two of my newer story collections are even free.

Here are all the links you'll need in one place:

Where We Belong, the recent winner of two Rainbow Awards, is only $1.99. When You Were Older is also $1.99. And one of my best received novels, Don't Let Me Go, is only $2.99. These prices will hold until December 28th.

The short story collections Always Chloe and Subway Dancer are absolutely free through December 27th.

I figured the novels might make good last-minute stocking stuffers for the readers on your list, and the free story collections can be for you. I honestly believe faithful readers deserve a break on book prices. 

A disclaimer about territories: the three novels are traditionally published (or soon to be) in the UK. Which means, with much regret to my lovely UK readers, I am not at liberty to discount them. That's the bad news. Now for the good news. Always Chloe and Other Stories and Subway Dancer and Other Stories are free worldwide.

Happy holidays, and happy reading!

Rainbow Awards for Where We Belong!

I am thrilled to report that Where We Belong has received multiple honors in the 2013 Rainbow Awards.

It won a Rainbow Award in its category, Lesbian Contemporary General Fiction. That was exciting enough. But then it went on to win Best Lesbian Novel, which is a kind of "best in show" award, a winner among all the category winners.

That's a huge honor, and I'm grateful to Elisa and the many judges who worked so hard, and as volunteers, to make these awards great.

Another thing that makes these awards great: This year they raised, and delivered, almost 6,500 dollars for two LGBT charities, Ali Forney Center in New York City and Colors in Los Angeles. 

Here's my certificate, of which I am most proud:

And an extra thanks to all my readers and fans who have been behind this book all along. Not sure what I would do without all of you. May I never find out!

Two New Interviews

After not doing much in the way of interviews for a while (actually writing books is key, I've found) I accepted two full-length interviews on Blog Talk Radio in the same month. Some of you saw the links on social networks, but if you missed them, they are now archived.

The first is with my very old friend Barbara Hodges for her program No Limits. It's a bit geared toward writers, but also casual and fairly personal. You can hear it at THIS LINK.

The second is with my Facebook friend Dean Buchanan for his program A Kind Voice, and is geared toward those interested in Pay It Forward. But it is also personal, and good for those who might want to learn more about me. And it's at THIS LINK.

More news as it becomes available. And there's lots of exciting stuff coming up, so please stay tuned!

When You Were Older for only $0.99

I'm afraid I more or less buried this news in the previous blog post about the Pay It Forward story on NBC Nightly News. Now I'm reminded that this needs to stand alone.

On the day the news story aired, we dropped the price on my novel When You Were Older, thinking it would be a good place for new readers to start. Of course, I'm always happy when my faithful long-time readers get a good deal as well. But I also know that the majority of you will have read it. (I'm working on two new novels as fast as I can!) In that case, I hope you'll pass the word along to your reader friends.

This deal will be in place through Thanksgiving weekend, to give everybody plenty of time to take me up on it.

Please do tell anyone you know who might be interested, and if you're just now reading it yourself, email and let me know what you think. For those who don't know it already, my real email address is on the Contact Me page.

I should probably also repeat the following for those who are new here: you don't need a Kindle to enjoy a Kindle ebook. You can download free Kindle Reading Apps HERE for your computer, tablet or smartphone. And if you have a Nook, or other non-Kindle ereader, there are instructions for converting a Kindle ebook HERE.

Happy reading!

NBC Nightly News!

It's close to time, but I'd like to encourage all of you who are interested in Pay It Forward to watch NBC Nightly News tonight. They're going to be doing a story on Pay It Forward/Good Samaritans/Random Acts of Kindness. And they sent a film crew all the way down from San Francisco so the producer could interview me in my home.

I have no idea how long I'll be onscreen, and how much will end up on the cutting room floor. But you might want to tune in, or set it to record. 

And I'm sure by about tomorrow it will be accessible on their website, iTunes, etc. So I will update this blog post very soon with a link to the story, for anyone who missed it.

Fingers crossed for how it turns out. But all publicity for Pay It Forward is good publicity, right?

More when available. 

Oh. A "P.S.": In honor of my (possibly brief) appearance on NBC Nightly News, and any new readers it might bring, we've chosen my novel When You Were Older to feature at only 99 cents, right through the Thanksgiving weekend. But if you're one of my existing readers, you deserve a deal, too. The 99 cent Kindle ebook is available HERE. Happy reading!

Update on 2013-10-25 01:19 by Catherine

Here it is. Short but sweet.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Who Likes Free Stuff?

Look what just came in the mail today. Five copies of the brand new unabridged audio edition of When I Found You. Not yet released.

If you follow this blog regularly, you'll know that I like to keep two copies of every edition in my archive. Send me more than that, and I host a giveaway.

So here goes. Three of these are up for grabs. Leave a comment below if you'd like to win one, and you're entered. I'll leave this open until about the middle of October. Then I'll draw three names.

As always, enter your name in the "author" field of the comment form, not mine. (It means author of the comment.) Do leave your email address in the form, where it won't show publicly. I don't keep a mailing list, and I will use it only to notify you if you win, not for any other purpose. Don't leave it in the body of the comment, because then it will show publicly.

And that's it! Good luck, and pass it on. 

Update on 2013-10-12 16:14 by Catherine

I'm going to be away on a hiking trip the week of the 14th-18th, so I'm going to extend this giveaway by a few days, which seems fairer than cutting it short. So if you're wondering why it's mid-month and I haven't chosen winners yet, thank you for your little extra bit of patience. Check back on the 19th. I'll have names. 

Update on 2013-10-19 15:09 by Catherine

Aaaaand ... the winners are ...

Okay, this is where I have to stop and tell you that I hate this part. I look at all the great comments from the people whose names I didn't pull, and I wish I had thirty of these. But I don't. I have three. To those who left great comments but didn't win, as always, keep an eye on this blog. There's always more to give away down the road.

Now:

1) Connie Henderson

2) Neva Clennan

3) Sue Ward

'Til next time!