Book Updates from Pants On Fire Press

We have several updates to share with you. First let's talk Paranormal Properties by Tracy Lane. This is a fun tale about 14-year-old Jake Weir, who while working on the set of his parents ghost hunting TV show, learns that he can see and hear ghosts. Jake quickly finds himself agreeing to help a ghost investigate a 61 year-old murder.

And it's not just any murder. It's the ghosts murder. It's a fantastic read. We are happy to report that Paranormal Properties is on schedule. We just delivered a heavily edited script to Tracy. Once she returns the script it will be one step closer to production. A rough sketch of the book cover will be available to preview later next week. We can't wait to see what Natalia has come up with. It looks like the teaser trailer will be released sometime before Halloween. Exciting stuff, for sure! Be sure to like the Facebook pages of Pants On Fire Press and Paranormal Properties.

The Kringle Chronicles: Catching Santa is getting a reboot. It's getting a new book cover and the name David M. F. Powers will be credited as the author alongside the existing name Marc Franco. We would prefer to drop the Marc Franco name but it would present some logistical challenges with Accelerated Reader so adding the authors legal name will suffice and help distance us from the gay porn author named Marc Franco.  Natalia is delivering the new cover sketch sometime next week. Be sure to like the Facebook page of The Kringle Chronicles: Catching Santa.

The Tales From Farlandia: Ozette's Destiny script is almost edited. Becca is finishing up with heavy developmental edits and should deliver the script to Judy Pierce around October 8th. Book cover sketches will be shared next week. We can't wait to see Natalia's handy work. Be sure to like the Facebook page for Judy Pierce.

 

Our picture book, A Butterfly Without Wings, is in the design phase. There is a lot to consider when designing a picture book. Fonts, art layout, type settings and text placement seem to change on a daily basis. We have settled on Gill Sans Light for the interior font. The text looks great. In the end we will have a truly marvelous book to be proud of. We are excited to announce that the book has grown from 24 to 32 pages. The book is scheduled to be translated into French next week. Korean, Hindi, Chinese and Japanese are next. I almost forgot. A Butterfly Without Wings Facebook page needs more fans before it lets us create an official Facebook page name. Please help us by liking the page here.

Editing begins next week for How I Became A Teenage Survivalist. Scout Pictures began shooting a full live action trailer for HIBATS today. We've read the trailer script and can't wait to see the footage. If any of our readers have been watching the new NBC show, Revolution, you'll be happy to learn that HIBATS tells a similar tale, though not so science fiction. HIBATS actually teaches you how to survive, if you pay attention to what Bracken, the narrator, tells you.

The Pants On Fire Press website trailer section is now displaying our YouTube hosted books trailers and teasers. We hope you have enjoyed this update. Stay tuned for some promotions being announced very soon for teachers.     

How I Became A Teenage Survivalist teaser trailer

Enjoy the teaser trailer for How I Became A Teenage Survivalist coming to bookstores in 2013. 

Seeking Editorial Intern

Pants On Fire Press seeks an editorial intern to assist with our 2014 acquisitions. Time commitment is 5-10 hours a week. Send a letter of interest to us at editor [at] pantsonfirepress [dot] com. Editorial or publishing experience is not required but obviously preferred. Include your experience if any. Attachments will be deleted. This is an unpaid opportunity.

How I Became A Teenage Survivalist

Pants On Fire Press is excited to publish 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award quarterfinalist Julie L. Casey's post-apocalyptic tale HOW I BECAME A TEENAGE SURVIVALIST. When the Midwest is hit with a solar superstorm, 15-year-old Bracken and his family must figure out how to survive without electricity.

Bracken is a typical teenage boy, more interested in the angles of the girl’s exposed back teasing him from the seat ahead of him than in anything the geometry teacher could present. His life is filled with school, video games, and thoughts of girls, not necessarily (or probably not) in that order. Life just flows along uneventfully and unacknowledged, like the electricity that courses through the power lines — until PF (Power Failure) Day.

On PF Day, the sun strikes Bracken’s world with an unseen surge of electromagnetic fury, which cripples power stations and burns transformers to crispy nuggets of regret. No one in Bracken’s world had ever thought about how much they depended on electrical power but now, without it, they are plunged into survival mode. Without electricity there is no communication, no modern conveniences and soon, no modern means of transportation, as the reserves of refined gasoline run dry. Worse still is the failure of the water and sewer systems, the impossibility of getting food and supplies to people living in cities, and the deaths of millions of people from starvation, disease, and lack of medical care. Bracken soon realizes how lucky he is to live on a farm in the Midwest. What seemed like a dull and backwards life before is now the greatest chance for survival in what seems like a powerless world. Food, water, and heat are readily available, although hard work is required to make use of them. Bracken and his family must learn to survive like their ancestors, who settled their land. Told in the first person, Bracken tells the story of how they not only survive, but how PF Day actually makes their lives better and more satisfying.

Book Awards

Authors, fellow small publishers and self-publishers, please, (I'm begging here) be vigilant and do your research on everything from publishing and editing to something as menial as entering a book awards contest. You, the author, are prey! I too as a publisher am preyed upon. I’m not saying be paranoid but just be careful because there are many who think they are experts when they are not. Unfortunately by the time you figure this out, it's too late. You have already paid them for their service. 

When I first researched book awards programs I thought the idea of entry fees was ridiculous. That was until I had a no-duh moment and realized that these organizations have overhead too. On top of that, the ones I was looking at were paying their winners. Painfully, I must confess that I made a rookie error and wastefully entered a lot of children’s book awards programs. Okay, let me cut to the chase and say that based on my experience I recommend the following awards programs to authors, fellow publishers and even self-publishers:

• Benjamin Franklin Awards – there is a fee but it pays a nice award and provides judges feedback. A link to the critique forms for our Catching Santa book may be read here: http://www.pantsonfirepress.com/media.asp. The feedback was well received. The judges made great observations regarding our hardcover illustration resulting in a new cover design and illustration for the the softcover edition.

• Next Generation Indie Book Awards – a class act. Requires a fee but pays a nice award and your book is reviewed by agents. We won Children’s their 2011 Children's Fiction overall category. A link to the certificate for our Catching Santa book may be read here: http://www.pantsonfirepress.com/media.asp.

Enter these if applicable. None charge fees.
• Alex Awards
• Caldecott Medal
• Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals
• Coretta Scott King Award
• Costa Book Award
• Golden Kite Awards – Society Of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
• Giverney Awards
• Governor General's Literary Awards
• Hans Christian Anderson Medals
• Horn Book Awards
• International Reading Association Children's Book Awards
• The James Madison Book Award
• Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal
• Margaret A. Edwards Award
• Mark Twain Award
• Michael L. Printz Award
• Newbery Medal
• Pura Belpre Award
• Sydney Taylor Awards
• Young Reader's Choice Award

I ignore the rest. Oh, and don’t go crazy entering in multiple categories. One category is enough. If you have a winner it will win. Good luck!

Keep An Eye Your Books

Who needs a laugh? How about a laugh at our embarrassing expense? Just the other day I logged into Apple's iTunes to review our copy for Catching Santa. It's a good idea to keep a titles copy fresh. Something that resonated last year may not resonate a year later. After reading the copy I noticed that iTunes was suggesting other titles by Marc Franco. I found this odd because our Marc Franco has one title. I confirmed this with a quick call then grabbed my mouse and scrolled down to see more books by Marc. 

Never in a million years did I expect to see the shiny bronze topless torso of a man sporting a hardhat and blue jeans. A few more clicks of the mouse and my fears were confirmed. Our children's Christmas book and author had been linked to two Gay Erotica titles by an author named Marc Franco. And to think that these books were being suggested to Children’s book patrons. What a gaffe on Apples part. See the screen shots below if you are curious to see the books. I immediately contacted Apple. Surprisingly, they resolved the database error within 24 hours-- removing all references to the other Marc Franco. As embarrassing as this was we still had a good laugh.