I’m pleased to welcome multi-Bram Stoker Award nominated author JG Faherty to my website today, here to talk about his latest novel, a YA sci-fi thriller titled, The Changeling.

As Faherty discusses in his article, he is seeking publication through Amazon’s Kindle Scout program, where readers vote on the books they want to see published. Check out what inspired JG Faherty’s return to YA fiction, where he has experienced much success before, and then CLICK HERE to vote for his latest book and the chance to win advance copies.

Genre, Audiences, & Publishing – An Experiment in Decisions

by JG Faherty

Sometimes, you can go back home.

My guest blog today is all about returning to my roots.

Back in 2010, after several years of having my short stories published in various magazines, ezines, and anthologies, I had my first novel published. That was Carnival of Fear, a YA horror novel. I’d written it well before that, but submitting to publishers is a long and nail-biting process. My submission strategy was pretty straightforward and standard: send out query letter with synopsis and chapters. Wait for response and hope they ask for full manuscript. Wait for response and hope for acceptance.

After several rejections, it got accepted.

A few months later, while I was finishing my second novel, that publisher went out of business. So I had to begin the submission process all over again. That book was Ghosts of Coronado Bay, a YA ghost story. Ghosts scored me a 3-book deal with a publisher. Following that, I entered into a multi-book agreement with another publisher, who ended up putting out 7 novellas and a novel of mine.

So, from 2011 to 2016, I never had to write a query letter or pitch a book.

Then, my most recent publisher went out of business (it’s the industry, not me, I swear!). So suddenly I find myself in the position of putting together queries, getting pitches ready.

And this is where the whole returning to my roots idea comes into play.

My first two novels were YA; one straight horror, one a paranormal romance. Every book after that – 9 novellas, 3 novels – were firmly in the adult horror or at least paranormal thriller genre.

With my latest novel, I’ve returned to YA. The Changeling is a science fiction thriller about a teenage girl who is accidentally exposed to a military weapon and gains some unusual powers.

It’s also a homecoming of sorts for me because I’m venturing into new territory, publishing-wise. Back when I was trying to sell Carnival of Fear, I’d never pitched or submitted to publishing houses before. With The Changeling, I’m testing the waters of Amazon’s Kindle Scout program. This is a new direction in publishing, not only for me, but for the industry. Readers get to preview the first couple of chapters online, and then decide if they want to see the book get published. Based on votes and the opinions of Amazon’s editing team, a few books get selected each month to receive a publishing contract from Amazon.

The benefit to the readers? If a book they voted for gets selected, each person who voted receives a pre-publication copy of the ebook.

For me, it’s like starting over again. YA novel, no experience with this facet of the publishing industry. It’s kind of scary, but also fun. Of course, it will be more fun if my book gets picked up, but if it doesn’t, I’ll have learned a few things and then I can start submitting to traditional publishers. Another homecoming. As a writer, there is always something new around the corner, and yet you can’t help but remember the old adage: The more things change, the more they stay the same.

If you want to read the excerpt from The Changeling, you can find it here: https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/3SNA1TEAOMD0F, and vote if you like it. There are other great books there as well – horror, sci-fi, mysteries, thrillers; adult and YA. You can nominate as many books as you want, although only 2-3 per week. And Amazon tracks if you actually read the excerpt, just so writers don’t screw around with the system.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the talented JG Faherty and his catalogue of work.