Help Me Flist! Part II

[mmerriam]

Okay, this is what we are considering placing on the back cover of the collection.

Thoughts, advice, and ideas are welcome. We have limited space to work with.


Michael Merriam's diverse stories unfold

…where the faery realm intersects with the mundane world of the Twin Cities

…in the spacefaring future of exploration and adventure

…and in a mythical land of magic and danger.


Here you will find tales of adventure, horror, magic, humor, tragedy, and romance where

…a fallen Seelie champion is caught between his dark past and unusual mortal friends

…a hapless heroine running from the law survives more by luck than by wit

…two very different spirits find sanctuary in a historic shopping mall

…a grizzled war veteran wrestles with a dark government cover-up

…a young outcast strikes a hard bargain with the Muddy River

…freedom fighters and their captives find the battle-lines between them blurred

…a space transport captain makes a difficult choice and falls headlong into the middle of a conspiracy

…estranged lovers discover whether science or magic will save their dying Earth

…death is not the end, time does not always run in a straight line, and the rain blesses both mortals and fae.



This would be followed by some blurbs I have secured from some of my writer friends and a blurb from a positive review.

Comments

[kelly-swails.livejournal.com]

Kelly likey!

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[docdad2.livejournal.com]

It seems like a LOT of information on the back cover. Are you allowed to limit the number of Info Lines?

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

You're right, it is a lot of information. We are going to cut it down a bit.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Sounds good!

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[alaneer.livejournal.com]

Looks great!

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[ecmyers.livejournal.com]

This is great stuff. My suggestions:

Cut the ellipsis from the beginning and condense into one paragraph that encompasses everything, ie:

Michael Merriam's diverse stories unfold where the faery realm intersects with the mundane world of the Twin Cities, in spacefaring futures of exploration and adventure, and in mythical lands of magic and danger.

Then, I would choose four of the best summaries, not all of them. Pick your faves, but my choices are:

Here you will find tales of adventure, horror, magic, humor, tragedy, and romance where

…a hapless heroine running from the law survives more by luck than by wit

…two very different spirits find sanctuary in a historic shopping mall

…a young outcast strikes a hard bargain with the Muddy River

…estranged lovers discover whether science or magic will save their dying Earth


If you choose other options, post them again here, because some of them could use a little tweaking to remove some minor awkwardness.

Hope this helps!

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

It helps a lot! Those are great suggestions!

[mylefteye.livejournal.com]

I personally think it's too much, and believe you'd be better off picking your favourites.

BTW, any chance of a hardcover? Given the choice I'd buy a hardcover over a paperback any day.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

I think you're right about it being too much.

I wish we could do a hardcover, but this is going to be a money loser as it stands. Trade paperback was the better financial choice.

[mylefteye.livejournal.com]

Really?. I started to earn royalties from Fourtold after it sold maybe 25 copies.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

Really? Well, we may have to re-run some numbers, then...

[careswen.livejournal.com]

It depends a lot on how we set the price. Since this is for fun and not for profit, I don't plan to make any money from it. But I don't plan to lose money, either. {grin}