Blurb

In a crisis torn, South American country, only little Ann's faith, her determination, and one young woman could help keep her dreams of escape alive.

A true story...
Find a synopsis and other details about Sunday’s Child at my confidence blog (linked). Read excerpts here: List of Books on Amazon
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Is 2009 Year Zero for the Publishing Industry?

I have joined an international venture to take on the publishing industry.

Year Zero Writers is a group of 20 authors from as far afield as Hong Kong, the USA, France, Dubai, Greece, and Finland who have joined forces to bring their unique brand of contemporary fiction direct to readers.

My story in the anthology is called, Voices In The Wall, and the entire work is available to download for free. Yes! Completely free! The group, each of whom is committed to publishing their own work and selling it directly to readers, started up as a response to and protest against a publishing industry dominated by market trends that squeezed out original, edgy fiction.

Year Zero Writers (www.yearzerowriters.wordpress.com) espouses a simple manifesto, based around the principle that literature is a living conversation between readers and writers. The group’s first project, started in March 2009, was a novel, The Man Who Painted Agnieszka’s Shoes, written in real time as a dialogue with readers, and given away for free on the social networking site, Facebook.What we’re doing is about giving readers the words we write, and letting them decide for themselves. Quality is essential – whether it’s cover design or avoiding sloppy formatting. We are doing this because we care about readers, we care that what they read is in no way diluted or made to an arbitrary model.

Thirteen of the Year Zero Writers, including myself, have provided samples of our work for the collection 'Brief Objects of Beauty and Despair,' which the collective is giving away as a free pdf (available from the website) to showcase its work. This is only one of a set of marketing strategies that embrace new media such as the micro-blogging site Twitter, where the group’s writers already have a devoted following of over 1000.

The first novels by members of the collective will be released on September 1st and will be available from Amazon. The first titles will be Benny Platonov by Hong Kong resident Oli Johns, which tells of an exile from the former East Germany who believes he can save Hong Kong’s homeless with his stories…if only he didn’t have block; Glimpses of a Floating World by Larry Harrison, the poetic story of police corruption and the underbelly of London in the year heroin first hit the capital’s streets; and Songs From the Other Side of the Wall by Dan Holloway, the heartbreaking story of a teenage girl growing up in post-communist Hungary who dreams of following her mother to “The West.”

It’s time writers started thinking less parochially and traditionally, and more like the musicians who happily give their songs away to their fans, or the artists prepared to rally round a common ideal. It’s time writers came out of their attics and embraced their readers. That’s the movement we want to start.

Please support us if you can by visiting our site and/or downloading our anthology. You do not have to part with anything, and no, there is no catch - none at all.

We're on Facebook too!

12 comments:

•°°• IcyBC •°°• said...

Hi Anne,

This is such a good thing to do, and I wish you all luck..

Anne Lyken-Garner said...

Thank you, Icy

SquirrelQueen said...

This is a wonderful concept with great potential. I will be checking it out on both Twitter and FB.

SQ

Anne Lyken-Garner said...

Thanks, SQ. Please let me know what you think.

Lauralee said...

Wow this is a really cool blog. Just checking out new ones and came across yours. Feel free to come check out my little artsy blog if you'd like.

Middle Ditch said...

Cheers to that Anne. This was the sole reason I began putting Middle Ditch on the net for listeners to listen to. I know I don't earn but I can be as creative as I want without the interference of producers/directors.

The land of publishers and producers don't want quality it seems. Quick sells and sloppy work is all they want.

I keep picking holes in new dramas on tv. It's appalling.

Anne Lyken-Garner said...

Hi, Monique,

Of course, you're right. It's hardly about the quality and more about, 'Will it sell.'

This compromises art and puts us in a very frustrating position indeed.

Leigh Russell said...

This sounds like a great idea, Anne, but please don't deride traditionally published authors with such a sweeping dismissal. Many authors are more concerned with quality than sales. I spent the best part of a year writing and rewriting my MS for Cut Short. I'm sure some commercial writers churn out poorly produced garbage (which is sadly often popular with readers), but most writers work extremely hard on their MS. I hope you take the time to read Cut Short, Anne, before you condemn all published authors out of hand. As for publishers, I can confirm that some at least are committed to enabling their authors to produce the very best they can. My publisher was prepared to delay publication until we felt my book was as good as I could make it. They certainly weren't interested in making a quick buck but are committed to publishing quality books. That's how they are building their reputation, and most authors are interested in their reputations as writers. I hope you're enjoying Cut Short, Monique. It was lovely to meet you!

Anne Lyken-Garner said...

Leigh, I'm sorry if I've offended you. This was not my intention at all so please accept my apologies.

I'm sure there are publishers out there who prefer to print quality books rather than those that are a quick sale, but I'm also certain that not all of them are too bothered (judging by the quality of published books by celebrity authors etc).

I know that you are a fantastic writer. Cut short is a remarkable book and is destined to have the staying power not many other crime fiction books have.

Again, sorry if I upset you. It wasn't my intention at all.

Cynthia Pittmann said...

I am interested in this movement, also, Anne. I clicked on the facebook link but how do I find the name of the group? I'm confused...will you direct me a bit? cpittmann@gmail.com Thanks!

Anne Lyken-Garner said...

Cynthia, I've sent you an email. the name of the group is Year Zero Writers

Thanks for visiting.

Cynthia Pittmann said...

What a eye catching concept! Wish you all the best.

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