Living the Renaissance of the Early 21st C.- Guest Post From Author Dorothy May Mercer

Living the Renaissance of the Early 21st C.

My most productive year as an author was 2011, the year I spent writing book after book, seven in all. That was before I learned about that dread word marketing. As beginning authors, we live in a special nirvana, where all we must do is blissfully indulge our creative geniuses and the world will fall at our feet.

What a rude shock, when we wake up to the bitter truth: the world seems to be overrun with creative geniuses with, alas, too few worker bees! What happened, we moan? Whither flew the good old days when the barest few books made it to the printing presses of the moneyed, narrow-eyed, Grinch’s working on publisher’s row, who spent their days chewing on Cuban cigars, and flinging manuscript after manuscript into the fiery furnace with unrestrained glee. Meantime their enablers, the big-time reviewers of the NY Times and others, held their noses on high as they gave the thumbs up or thumbs down, meaning life or death, like Caesar at the ancient Coliseum.

Those few authors plucky enough, or lucky enough to strike it rich, were honored, feted, wined, dined, and worshiped. They moved in high society from NY high-rises to Long Island mansions; from Palm Beach and Key West, to Paris, London and Stockholm.

Only a few suckers and losers crept, in defeat, to “Vanity Publishing.” The rest kept their dignity. The manuscript went to the attic and the author tried to forget.

Well, folks, here’s what happened: TECHNOLOGY—the internet, cheap computers, P.O.D. (Print on Demand), Ebooks. Self-publishing—that’s what happened. Self-respect came with it. Suddenly there are 10,000,000 geniuses out there with books to choose among—all of them priced less than the cost of one cigar. Some were even free. Horrors!

Has anyone tried to sell their “self-published” book to libraries? I have, with success, mostly. A few turn me away with a snooty, “We don’t buy self-published authors.” Most are jumping on the bandwagon. There’s even talk of Interactive Virtual Public Libraries replacing the old brick and mortar libraries which house the bestsellers of the past.

Look around you. We are living in a modern day Renaissance that more than dwarfs the historical Renaissance brought about by the invention of the printing press. This Renaissance is escalating so rapidly, that we have not labeled it as such. More like a tsunami than a rising tide, we authors and some publishing houses are so bewildered, and so darned busy trying to stay ahead, that we don’t recognize it, not yet, anyway.

And so, if a book is to sell, today’s author must work hard at marketing. Otherwise, our masterpiece will be relegated to clouds, or to cyberspace to orbit the earth or wander the universe in outer darkness forever. Marketing gimmicks rise and fall in popularity faster than a comet. No sooner does one author stumble upon a way to get those coveted “likes,” reviews and buys, than ten thousand others stampede on board, thus ruining it for everybody. Oh, to have been the first to name my book 50 Shades of Gray, before the hoards arrived in every possible shade and every possible number.

Lest I go too far, let me acknowledge that I’ve never met a smarter, more helpful, more generous class of people than the authors I have come to know and love. Like survivors in the same lifeboat, they reach out to one another in so many ways it defies belief, and restores my faith in humanity and hope for the future. Welcome to the club, Renaissance people!

© 2013 Mercer Publications & Ministries, Inc.

Don't Forget to pick up a few of Dorothy's books:

Car 006 Responding
The Cocaine Chase
The Immigrant and the Golden Coin
The Cartel Wars
The Gang Bust

Best selling author Dorothy May Mercer lives in Michigan, U.S.A. with her husband. They commute between two lakefront homes. Her hobbies are writing, reading, traveling, skiing, boating, golf, and playing the piano.

Her popular McBride series of adventure fiction features cop hero Mike McBride in every book. In addition, each book is dedicated to a different branch of homeland security. Book One features the police, book two the Coast Guard, book three, the Border Patrol, book four the DEA and ATF, and book five, all Federal, State and Local law enforcement who work together to fight crime and corruption, and protect the homeland.

Dorothy is attempting to make the series suitable for all adults in that her heros, as role models, do not cuss, have explicit sex, or shoot anyone except to save a life. Her villians do, however, so parental guidance is suggested for teens. In addition to fun, adventure, and vile villians, the plots include romance, relationships and family situations.

An overall theme of the series is the war on illegal and harmful drugs. Through the use of exciting stories, Dorothy is attempting to educate people on the dangers of using such drugs.

An accompanying theme is acquaint readers with the host of problems attending the porous border between the US and Mexico, resulting in the importation of illegal immigrants, drugs, cartel violence and kidnapped women, as well as the deportation of jobs, arms and ammunition.

Hero of the series, Det. Lt. Mike McBride, his pals and his dog confront all of this in exciting adventure-stories; in the end wiping out cartel bosses, gangs and smuggling rings, dealing with drug addiction, and solving the immigration problems in exciting and surprising ways. Don't miss the great ending.

The first book of a new McBride series,located in and around Washington D.C. features Mike McBride in the new role of crusading senator. This series will continue to deal with contemporary USA problems of crime and corruption, but will not necessarily censor the sex scenes for tender young eyes and ears, nor will it go out of it's way to add them. Let's just say, this series is for adults and whatever happens, happens. In this first book, Mike confronts a suburban prostitution ring run by gang. The book deals honestly with this subject.