Goodbye to the Old, Hello to the New (Final Post)

I think it is only fitting that as 2017 draws to a close that we are shaking things up here.

When I first started blogging, a decade ago, I could never have imagined that I would be sitting here today releasing my ninth book. Even as I write this it still feels so unreal; as if I am writing about someone else. Yet, in a mere few hours, the third Alex Taylor novel, Brooklyn Bounce, will launch.

In addition, as we go forward into 2018, my presence on the world-wide-web will have an entirely new look. Today I am proud to announce that I have a new, dedicated website that will keep you up-to-date on all the latest information: www.andrewgnelson.org

This new website will allow you to connect with me through a variety of social media platforms, such as Facebook & Twitter, as well as signing up for a monthly newsletter which will keep you in the know regarding new releases and other information.

I will also continue to BLOG, but the website will act as the new platform for these posts.

There is also a new market place on the site which will allow you to purchase SIGNED EDITIONS of my books. We are also working on several other items that will debut later in 2018, so I really encourage you to sign-up for the NEWSLETTER.

I am very excited for the new direction that we are heading and I certainly hope that you will join me in this journey - AGN

Book Update: December 2017

It is amazing how the days seems to pass by so quickly at this time of the year. In the blink of an eye the dog days of summer are gone and replaced by the chill in the air of fall, but that doesn't mean things have slowed down on the writing front. I am happy to announce that work has nearly been completed on my latest book: Brooklyn Bounce, and it is my intention, and the good Lord willing, to have it available in time for Christmas.

I had originally intended to release the book last month, but there were some real world issues that needed to be taken care of and these prevented timely editing, along with a chapter re-write. Now that is has been completed, it is over to my lovely editor for the final review and then publication. 

While this final edit is being done I am working on the cover artwork. This is an interesting aspect of the process that I am sure most folks don’t even think about, but the reality is that there is a fine line when you are creating artwork. Most readers don’t consider the time and effort that goes into designing a cover. Large format artwork, which looks good on the shelves at the local book store, must also be capable of being shrunk down to a thumbnail sized format for an e-mail version on Amazon.  This is more of a balancing act than you might believe. There is nothing more frustrating than coming up with a nice print version cover graphic only to see the title or author name disappear when it shrunk to e-book scale. Once you figure out that dilemma, then you need to come up with a graphic that will entice the potential reader, offering a clue as to what is to come, but at the same time you don’t want to give too much away.

Most of the time I can come up with an idea of what I want, but sometimes, this being one of them, I was stymied for a bit.  In this example, the title, Brooklyn Bounce, refers to an action, not a particular place. This being an Alex Taylor novel, all the traditional images, which are associated with Brooklyn, had no actual bearing on the book’s content. In the end, I think that I have come up with a cover concept that covers things nicely; that is to say it is both visually appealing while still keeping things a surprise.

So please stay tuned, as I’m working out the final details and hope to have it done for a cover reveal sometime this week.