Adam Blumer

Is It Time to Self-Publish?

By Adam Blumer May 10, 2013 Current Events, Publishing, Weekly Post 12 Comments

Keep in mind that I’m simply asking the question. This is no overt message to my readers or anyone else that I’m leaving traditional publishing. However, lately I’m seeing more and more signals that traditional publishing is becoming even narrower and less author friendly than it ever was before. Why do I say this? Literary agent Steve Laube recently posted about massive changes at B&H Publishing, home of Brandilyn Collins, Alton Gansky, Robin Carroll, and other fine Christian suspense novelists. What are the changes? One listed item made my stomach drop: Novels scheduled for release through March/April 2014 will continue as planned. But all novels contracted thereafter have been cancelled. Authors may keep advance monies prepaid and rights to those books will revert, but all future contracted advances will not be paid. (http://stevelaube.com/changes-at-bh-fiction/) Oh, that’s bad, my friends. Can you imagine slaving away for several years and finally getting a…

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From Layoff to First Novel Contract

By Adam Blumer July 13, 2012 Fatal Illusions, Fiction, Novel Writing, Novels, Publishing, Weekly Post 4 Comments

Note: Previously published as a guest post at Thoughts of a Sojourner My Unconventional Path to Publication My boss sank into a chair across from my desk, hung his head, and delivered news no employee wants to hear. “We’re making cutbacks here at the college, and I’m afraid”—he took a deep breath and let it out—”your position is being eliminated.” A two-by-four to the side of the head couldn’t have jolted me more. What!? They’re cutting my job? It was January 13, 2006, and I was sitting in my office (see photo) at Northland Baptist Bible College (now Northland International University), where I’d been serving as an editor since 1995. With a BA in print journalism, I was in charge of editing and writing content for all sorts of campus publications: promotional brochures, a magazine, the academic catalog, the yearbook, even the website. And now, in five months, I’d no longer…

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