Boroughs Publishing Group News

Boroughs Publishing Group at the
RT Booklovers Convention

Editor in Chief Chris Keeslar with the first group to receive the gorgeous Boroughs tote

For those of you who couldn’t make it, the RT Convention was this past weekend, April 11 - 15, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Hotel in Chicago. Boroughs was there as well, handing out bags and good cheer, and taking time to learn more about both authors and readers in this wildly changing world of e-publishing.

Keeslar with Zuzulo

The convention drew several thousand fans and authors of romance, and over a thousand were predicted at the E-Expo and Graphic Novel Book Fair on Thursday, where up-and-coming paranormal romance author Kellyann Zuzulo made her debut book signing. Soon to be published Regan Walker was also in attendance!

Do you see the tote in the pictures? Interested in one of your own? Comment on our blog and three winners will be chosen at random to receive a free handbag.

New Beginnings. That April rush.

Now. Now. Now. Everyone seems to be in a hurry these days.

Perhaps that’s because new opportunities are popping up everywhere for those who watch. Especially with (cue thunder machine and reverb) “the transformed landscape of publishing.”

So, what exactly is Boroughs Publishing Group? Good question, and one that’s arisen from my friends in the industry. What they aren’t saying directly but really want to know is: What’s in it for me? In publishing today, like everywhere else, one has to define oneself. Thus, for all of you, especially those who don’t know me, for over sixteen years my personal quest has been helping authors refine their visions, helping them craft the very best books they can, helping them tell the stories they want to write. That is and always will be the core of the Boroughs program: top-notch, author-driven Romance fiction. We’re building a platform to make ourselves a Mecca for that very thing, and what we’ll be offering is partnership.

I wrote out a previous version of this piece (over)using an analogy with knights and gunslingers, talking about how gunpowder leveled the playing field and forced equality on a calcified elite. When my wife yawned and gave me a loving look (everyone needs an editor) I decided the point is probably more straightforward: E-books and social media have created opportunities galore, scaring traditional publishers into changing their ways.

Well, we say, it’s about time! This industry is like every other aspect of society, where an elite few controlled far too much. Traditional publishers and distributors have had strangleholds on each other for ages, and indirectly on authorial creativity. At best they were salesmen and marketers and executives vying for, above all, higher profits. Not, above all, better books. It’s easy to lose direction when your compass is fixed on money; it sometimes seems simpler to chase pie charts and graphs than take chances on creativity and passion. But I’m happy to say that those systems have been shaken. The controls are loosening. The tools are falling at our feet so that we can make our own way once again.

Given the hail of falling tools, some people are asking why use a publisher at all. Do-it-yourself is beginning to look pretty attractive. Is a new Amanda Hocking or E.L. James around every corner? That pollen is in the air—and it’s intoxicating. But the sudden availability of a tool does not make any one author its master, nor does it create extra hours in the day. For some, any time away from writing is a negative, even (or especially) to learn cover design, publicity, marketing, technology and business law; and even mastering the tools is no guarantee of success. For many beginning authors without a recognizable brand, it will be a long and lonely road. One thing everyone recognizes: competition will only get fiercer.

This is where today’s publishers come in, where we should have been all along. We can offer something better to those writers who see the benefit of a true partnership. Communication. Education. We should be facilitators and improvers. We don’t dictate innovation but recognize genius. We’re the link between craftsmen—authors, editors, cover designers, social marketers—and we’ll do the work that allows authors to focus on their passion. Once again, publishers will be making names for themselves by the talent they improve, not just where their salesmen can shelve books. This is the Boroughs maxim. Readers will always recognize quality, and there’s nothing more exciting than a truly original manuscript.

Yes, it’s a wonderful time. The Internet is an equalizer, so whether you’re striking out on your own or looking for help, this is the Age of the Author. I suddenly get the rush. So, write what you love and your readers will find you. Be true to your story. We’ll be working at your side. If we can put you on our shoulders, please be in touch.

Sincerely,

Christopher Keeslar
Editor in Chief
Boroughs Publishing Group

Author Spotlight: Kellyann Zuzulo

Kellyann Zuzulo is the author of several paranormal romances and thrillers. Her newest release is THE GENIE IGNITES. A Philadelphia native, Kellyann received a bachelor's degree in journalism from Temple University and has lived in London, Ireland, Boston and Washington, D.C. She has worked as a reporter for local newspapers and as a writer for Yankee Magazine and national consumer and health magazines; as a book development editor; as a media relations representative; and as a director of communications for nonprofits. Her interest in Middle Eastern mythology and legend stems from her stint as a Managing Editor of Publications for the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C.

As in most families, my mother was my first storyteller, and in our house, fairies, wraiths, banshees, and angels populated our bedtime tales. My Ireland-born-and-bred Mom would summon unseen beings from the ether to flitter and cluster, scheme and struggle. The descriptions were sometimes fantastical, but always the stories were told as though every single thing was indeed possible. They worked. I believed.

Eventually I grew out of that gullible childhood, but I was already predisposed to the possibility of an actual realm of the unseen. Perhaps I was even then seeking to find it again, to summon back the joys of youth. And why not? Many people seem to suspect the existence of other domains. The Irish have their fairies (so please don’t neglect to crush your used egg shells, else the pookies will come and wreak havoc in your kitchen) and it seems every culture has separate tales of exotic, ethereal beings. But it wasn’t until my job as a managing editor of publications for the Saudi embassy that everything came full circle.

Arabia is the cultural source for the lore of the jinn. (Genies, in common parlance.) They’re like fairies, only bigger, more substantial, more…human. That part intrigued me. Imagine the stories you could tell where genies and humans get to interact! And when I discovered the Arab world has produced scholarly manuals that chronicle laws of behavior for genies and humans, the fairy veteran in me nodded knowingly. The writer in me whooped with enthusiasm. Here was a world I could believe.

I found many sources that detail the physical manifestation of jinn, how they live and how they look. Genies are very similar to humans, but with abilities that we can only dream of: instant travel across continents, the ability to alter their molecular structure in order to occupy small spaces, longevity that allows them to experience millennia of civilizations and cultures. And with my subscription to Biblical Archaeology Review, I had a resource for insight into the ancient world, and particularly—when you get to it—the time in Solomon’s Temple.

During my research, I happily noted there were no prohibitions for the “intermingling” of humans and genies. Whereas humans are shaped from the clay of the earth, and angels from light, the jinn are forged from flame. Hot stuff, indeed. That practically demands some intermingling.

The ultimate hero suddenly appeared in my mind: a man with long life, good looks, a steady and true character that becomes ferocious when he’s been wronged or when he’s trying to reclaim a lost love. Enter Zubis. Then add Bethany O’Brien, the woman who won his heart in a bygone age. You wouldn’t think she’d need convincing after setting eyes on Zubis again, yet nothing is ever that easy. I have a feeling things will work out, though. Love is magical even without the mystical powers of a genie—which only make things interesting.

Love makes everything possible. I suppose Zubis could have just snapped his fingers and made Bethany adore him, but above all I wanted a story of love and loyalty that spans millennia that my readers could believe. That meant they had to make the journey all over again. Nothing else would do. The training was too good from my mother. Like her, my goal as a storyteller is for a reader to read, to sigh a romantic sigh, and to say “And why not?” Then to make a wish of their own.

Check out THE GENIE IGNITES.

Announcements

Christopher Keeslar Named Editor in Chief

For those of you who don’t already know, Boroughs Publishing Group welcomed Christopher Keeslar as Editor in Chief on March 5th, 2012. Keeslar graduated from New York University in 1995 and immediately entered the publishing industry. He remained with his first employer, Dorchester Publishing, for over sixteen years, and he enjoys a stellar reputation in the Romance industry, where authors and agents alike applaud him for his integrity, enthusiasm and commitment to producing great stories. He takes time to grow and groom authors rather than simply churn out product. In 2004, Chris was chosen to receive RWA PASIC’s 2004 national award for best editor. This was followed several years later by the RWA New York chapter’s local award.

Keeslar’s preferences skew toward fantasy and science fiction–style romances, “paranormals” and urban fantasy as they are often called, and toward medieval historicals, though he enjoys a broad range of Romance.

Please join us in welcoming Chris to the Boroughs community.