James M. Jackson authors the Seamus McCree novels. ANT FARM (Spring 2015), a prequel to BAD POLICY (2013) and CABIN FEVER (2014), recently won a Kindle Scout nomination. Ebook published by Kindle Press; print from Wolf’s Echo Press.
How I Got Published
Every one of my books has had its own road to publication. My most recent novel, Ant Farm, started life over a decade ago with interest from an agent, but garnered no publishing contract. It was my first novel in what I planned as a series. The second in the Seamus McCree series found a home with small publisher Barking Rain Press, which also took the third. Those books were well-received, but the audience too small.
I dusted off Ant Farm, gave it a thorough rewrite, and decided to become a hybrid author by independently publishing what would now be a prequel to the series. However, as I was finishing the final round of edits, Amazon introduced the Kindle Scout program. I considered the possibility of having marketing behemoth Amazon promote my book to be more than fair compensation for giving up total publishing control. I entered the program, was “Hot and Trending” for 78% of hours in the 30-day nomination period, and at the end of the nomination process, Kindle Press offered me a contract for the ebook, which went on pre-order earlier this week. I have published the trade paperback version through Wolf’s Echo Press.
Carol Balawyder 