It started with an idea...
Take two traditionally published authors with book rights that have reverted to them. They want to keep the books out there, available to new readers.*
After all the trials and tribulations that Under A Texas Star went through (story available here at 2011/04/trail-to-under-texas-star-part-1.html), I wasn't about to let it go quietly into the abyss. One of the problems to overcome was that, even if I wanted it, the original cover wasn't available for me to use. I didn't really want to use is anyway because, as attractive as it was, it really didn't reflect the contents. I had several comments that the cover was misleading from people who were expecting a hot romance and didn't get it, or didn't want one and were pleasantly surprised.
The other issue was that I didn't want to self-publish alone. I've been a publisher, in partnership with my sister and a mutual friend, and we all brought different skills to the table. No one had to do it all. If I was going to step into those waters again, I wanted a buddy. Fortunately, I was good friends with someone in the same boat: Melodie Campbell.
Under the circumstances, the idea was obvious: start their own publishing company. Deadly Dames was taken so Alison suggested Deadly Press and Melodie agreed.*One of the skills I brought to the table...or the boat...was graphic design. I started back in the 1980s with cut and paste display ads and developed my skills with the developing technology. Like so much of what I do, I learned to do what needed to get done, finding mentors as I went along. Unlike most of what I do (other than writing) I work on graphic design and computer art for fun.
Note: Alison also was the first one to suggest Deadly Dames. Two of her books are Deadly Legacy and Deadly Season. Her children are lucky one of them isn't named Deadly Bruce-Ireland.
This has made Deadly Press, not just a way of keeping our books in circulation but, a new creative outlet.
Next time... Deadly Legacy is under reconstruction before being re-released. Why? Stay tuned for the answers.
(*Excerpts quoted from www.DeadlyPress.com.)
Question of the week: How much do you judge a book by its cover?