"Nowadays, electronic media rule" - Florence Byham Weinberg, author of DOLET
As a university
professor for 36 years, I was expected to publish, so I wrote four scholarly
books and many articles and reviews. The first scholarly book, my doctoral dissertation,
came out in 1972. Writing fiction began in earnest in 1998 as I prepared for
retirement (in 1999). I completed the first novel in 2000 and have written 10
mainly historical novels and historical mysteries. One exception, published in
2014, is Anselm: a Metamorphoses,
roughly classified as a metaphysical fantasy. The present novel returns to my
scholarly specialization, the French Renaissance.
My early efforts
at writing fiction were still tinged with scholarly turns of phrase. I engaged
an editor, Gerald W. Mills, a talented editor who taught creative writing and
who took me in hand. He edited three of my early books and guided my writing
style into the twenty-first century. However, I had a rude awakening when I
tried to place my early efforts with an agent or a publisher. I was rejected
243 times by agents. My historical novel about the 16th-century
figure, Louise Labé—both poet and knight in armor—was published in French in
Lyon, France, before any books in English came out. I was accepted by Twilight
Times Books without the benefit of an agent thanks to Gerald Mills, who
represented one of my books, The Storks
of La Caridad, to them, along with one of his own books. We were both
accepted, and I have stayed loyal to that publisher ever since.
Like most
authors, I suspect, marketing is the most difficult aspect of writing.
Naturally, we all passionately hope that readers will find us, read us, and
become fans. I am best at personal appearances where I lecture, answer
questions, and then sell books. I do have a website, am on Facebook, LinkedIn,
Goodreads, and other on-line book sites.
Still, personal contact works best for me. I also find that having an
open house to present a new book works well, also if the book has a special
aspect, such as incorporating native wild foods that a missionary eats or
prepares, or a musical emphasis where the hero meets the teen-age Beethoven.
Then, the book will sell well at conferences or meetings featuring organic
foods and gardening, or after a concert in a local church. I have had fair but
limited luck with signings in book stores. I organized my own book tour for the
first mystery I wrote and had everything from an empty room to an enthusiastic
crowd that subsequently became a fan club. Nowadays, electronic media rule, and
we all have to accept that with grace, adjust to it and use it to our advantage.
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Title: Dolet
Genre: Nonfiction Novel; Historical Fiction
Author: Florence Byham Weinberg
Website: www.florenceweinberg.com
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
Read Chapter One
About the Book:
Dolet depicts the life and times of Etienne Dolet. Etienne, who told the bald truth to friend and foe alike, angered the city authorities in sixteenth-century Toulouse, fled to Lyon, and became a publisher of innovative works on language, history, and theology. His foes framed him; he was persecuted, imprisoned, and ultimately executed by the Inquisition for daring to publish the Bible in French translation.
What readers are saying:
“[Dolet] …I read it all with pleasure, and delighted to see names that I have known for some time coming alive as “characters,” albeit fictitious ones. I especially liked the way in which you brought out the sense of community, of being a band of brothers that so many of those amazing people shared.”
~ Kenneth Lloyd-Jones, Professor, Trinity College, Hartford, CT
~ Kenneth Lloyd-Jones, Professor, Trinity College, Hartford, CT
About the Author:
Florence Byham Weinberg, born in Alamogordo, New Mexico, lived on a ranch, on a farm, and traveled with her military family. After earning a PhD, she taught for 36 years in three universities. She published four scholarly books. Since retiring, she has written seven historical novels and one philosophical fantasy/thriller. She lives in San Antonio, loves cats, dogs and horses, and great-souled friends with good conversation. Visit her website and connect with her onFacebook.
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