News in the publishing industry

Print book sales are down, while e-book sales are up!

From Reuters, May 23, 2007

Americans bought $24.2 billion worth of books in 2006, slightly less than the previous year, an industry group said Tuesday, reporting sharp falls in religious and audio-book sales but an increase in e-books.

The Assn. of American Publishers said total sales by U.S. publishers last year were estimated at $24.197 billion, down from $24.263 billion in 2005.

Religious book sales fell 10.2% to $745 million while audio-books dropped 11.7% to $182 million. Spurred by progress in digital technology, sales of e-books jumped 24.1% to $54 million.

Source: Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/features/books/cl-et-quick23.2may23,0,7831051.story?coll=la-books-headlines

movin' on up!

Spellbound has moved up a few notches in the Horror category at Fictionwise and is now sitting at #3. Currently, we are outselling older releases from Laurell K. and Stephen King! Check it out here at:

http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/HorroreBooks.htm

While some might think being with an "e-book publisher" rather than a print house makes for certain limitations, this medium opens us up to a whole different audience. As it happens, just yesterday Spellbound received a favorable review in the June issue of Pandora's Gate, which is aimed at readers of comics, sci fi, and horror. My fellow contributors and I have definitely stepped outside the bounds of "erotic e-pub" with this one!

For more details on Spellbound (and to read an excerpt from my contribution, Grave Desire) go to http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook45685.htm?cached

What I've been reading lately...

This week, the authors of Aphrodite's Apples are sharing what each of us is currently reading. I just waxed enthusiastic for my love of the In Death series. Check it out over at the AA publisher blog! ;)

http://aphroditesapples.blogspot.com/

Spellbound!

Spellbound - Tales of Mischief & Mayhem is currently ranked as the 7th topselling horror title over at Fictionwise! Check it out:

http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/HorroreBooks.htm

This was a Halloween release with a limited run at the direct publisher's site, so it's exciting to see this anthology get a second wind and enjoy another run!

For more info (and to read an excerpt from my contribution!) check out Spellbound here:

http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook45685.htm?cached

Another 5 stars for Masquerade, volume 3!

It's another 5 star review for Masquerade, volume 3, this time from Euro-Reviews. In fact, the reviewer expressed that she wished she could rate it higher! Cathie says of my contribution, Windswept:

"The reader is not going to put this story down for any moment of time until reaching the very end! Author Katrina Strauss brings forth a fascinating look of the mythology of the Wind Keeper, Aeolus. Too, a luscious sizzling love story between Tempest and Aeolus will bring the reader to tears with the uncertainty of how to have their life together. With lush and beautiful graphics and descriptors within the whole story, WINDSWEPT will sweep the reader away to an enchanting love story."

Find Cathie's full review of all five stories here:
http://euroreviews.eu.funpic.de/bookdetails.php?book_id=994

Get your Black Magi on...

One of my prouder moments of prose construction. (Yes, I'm in self-critique mode today...)

A black charcoal outline formed a large pentacle upon Devon's bedroom floor. In the center, Celeste knelt naked, her wrists bound to her ankles with rope. She bowed her head in submission toward Devon, who stood fully dressed in a suit of black velvet and white silk. With a long match, he leaned down and lit the first black candle set at the northern point of the star.

"Stravisa," he murmured. Spirit.

Methodically, he made his way clockwise around the circle, his boot heels clicking against the hardwood planks, skipping the second point and stopping at the third to follow the order in which he'd drawn the lines of the inner pentagram. He paused, touching the match to the wick, and glanced wistfully at Celeste's backside. The candlelight lent her hair a preternatural glow as it shimmered down her gracefully curved spine.

"Striju." The ancient Magi name for fire.

Continuing around the circle in the same fashion, alternating between points, he lit the remaining three wicks -- satra for air, seintu for water, skrova for earth.

With all five vertices illuminated, he gently waved the match, extinguishing the flame, and returned to the altar. He fished in his jacket pocket and produced a corkscrew, then lifted the sacred bottle of Pinot Noir.

The cork came free with a loud pop. Tipping the bottle, Devon irreverently splashed the first few sips onto the floor to empty the sediment collected in the neck. The garnet liquor puddled on the floorboards and seeped into the cracks in between. The neck cleared, he poured the wine into the pewter chalice, filling it to the brim.

Lifting the chalice, he swirled it under his nose and inhaled the heady scent of the vine coupled with an underlying hint of plum and berry. Taking a sip, he was surprised at the unusually sweet taste. For a moment, he lost himself in another man's memories -- drunk on liquor, fueled by desire, racing madly through hedges of yew, his lover following behind in a blur of loose curls and flowing skirts, her laughter tinkling merrily against an orchestra of crickets serenading the moonlight...

-- Copyright 2007 by Katrina Strauss
Fates Fulfilled - Book 3 of the Eldritch Legacy
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook45677.htm

Once upon a legacy...

Three generations, bound by blood. One legacy, built on love, lust, and the power of magick. From the frightful depths of the medieval dungeon, to the scandalous delights of the Regency parlor, to the wild ride of the gritty urban streets, come and take a walk on the dark side as only an Eldritch can...


Katrina Strauss' trilogy The Eldritch Legacy
Now available in its entirety on Fictionwise at:
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/Series884.htm




Rave reviews for the groundbreaking series that is
The Eldritch Legacy!

***"Katrina Strauss brings this world of political intrigue, excess, and royalty, mixed with help from generations past, alive in a way that most authors can't pull off...Run, don't walk to get this series, you will not be disappointed." -- Tara Gibbs of TwoLips Reviews

***"Edgy, boundary-testing and sometimes just plain testy, [Strauss is] a pure visceral reading pleasure which you'll guiltily devour even as you tell yourself you shouldn't." -- Lee M of CK2's Kwips & Kritiques

***"I easily see The Eldritch Legacy moving into place next to Anne Rice's classic Sleeping Beauty trilogy...[Strauss'] voice is different than any other writer's, with a flair for dark, gripping sagas that transcend time." -- Adra Steia of Rites of Romance

***"This is a dark fantasy, and the characters are definitely not Disney." -- Elise Logan of BDSM Reviews


Indulge in the taboo dungeon fantasy of Secrets Revealed.
Romp with the decadent Romantics in Lessons Learned.
Explore the modern gothic underground in Fates Fulfilled.
Whether read alone, or together in one sweeping epic,
these are NOT your mother's romance novels!!!

Get Katrina Strauss' The Eldritch Legacy today at
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/Series884.htm

Or, own all three novels in one easy, downloadable set!
http://www.aphroditesapples.com/eldritch_legacy.htm